Education Advocates Urge Senators to Reject the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

WASHINGTON — Advocates from several educational organizations gathered outside the Russell Senate Office Building last week to urge the Senate to reject the so-called “big, beautiful bill” they contend will gut public school funding.

Standing in the shadow of the Capitol, educators and parents decried the proposed cuts in the bill, which would end free lunch programs for disadvantaged students, eliminate arts and other education programs and even cut funds for school nurses.

Among the groups represented at the event were Educators for Excellence, the National Parents Union, Education Leaders of Color and EdTrust. Their shared goal was to have their voices heard before the Senate’s planned July 4 deadline to vote on the bill.

Many in attendance said families who rely on government assistance programs like Medicaid would suffer the most if the proposed cuts move forward.

Jillian RainingBird, a parent who was personally affected by Medicaid funding, shared the story of her daughter Jayla, who died while waiting for services under a Medicaid waiver.

“Jayla was 6 years, 7 months, 27 days, 9 hours and 49 minutes old,” Reingbird said. “I’m not afraid of taxes. I’m afraid of a system that allows children like Jayla to die because help never came.”

Medicaid is the fourth-largest funding stream for public schools. Advocates say the bill would significantly reduce that funding, threatening services such as school nursing, mental health counseling and support for students with disabilities.

Democrats argued that lawmakers are “out of touch” with the realities working Americans face. One vocal opponent, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, criticized Republican leadership for advancing the bill.

“President Trump and Republicans in Congress don’t get it. They’re going to try to make it harder for parents who are working hard every day to help their kid get ahead,” Kelly said.

Dr. Rahmatu Kassimu, a Texas public school science teacher and member of Educators for Excellence, spoke about the day-to-day struggles in underfunded schools. Kassimu said her school is technically staffed with a full-time nurse, but staffing shortages often leave the role unfilled — even when students urgently need care.

“Every Texas student matters. Every child in the United States matters. Their well-being should never be up for political debate,” Kassimu said.

Texas ranks 50th in access to mental health care, with 71% of those in need going untreated. The state also has the highest rate of uninsured children and adults in the country. For the second year in a row, it has been named the hungriest state in the U.S., with a food insecurity rate of 17.6%.

Kassimu and other speakers emphasized that children cannot focus when they are hungry. In rural and low-income communities, many students rely on free school meals to get through the day.

Evan Stone, co-founder of Educators for Excellence, referred to the reconciliation measure as the “big ugly bill.”

“This bill will take $20 billion out of our public education system and give it to private schools,” Stone said. “It rips meals away from kids to give tax breaks to billionaires. It’s not just wrong — it’s a betrayal of public education’s promise.”

Ma’at Lands, founder of Rooted School in Indianapolis and a member of Education Leaders of Color, urged lawmakers not only to preserve education funding, but to reimagine it after decades of disinvestment.

“If you claim to care about the future, then protect the public schools that shape it,” Lands said.

The bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives on May 22 by a vote of 215-214, after two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio, joined Democrats in voting against it. 

The rally ended with a final plea to the Senate: reject the reconciliation bill and invest instead in programs that support and protect children across the country.

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