Fear and defiance are this Washington's response to Trump's education funding threats

No one is certain yet how federal decisions under the Trump administration will affect both budgets and policies of Washington’s public schools.

But educators, parents and government officials in this Washington are tracking closely whether President Donald Trump makes good on his threats to cut funding to states that do not prove they have abandoned K-12 diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Fear, anger and defiance have been the response here so far. The fear runs deep. The defiance comes from the top: the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or OSPI.

Although most of the districts I reached out to for this story weren’t interested in discussing their plans for navigating these issues, education consultant Erin Jones told me that at a recent meeting with King County superintendents, officials were worried.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/05/19/fear-and-defiance-are-this-washingtons-response-to-trumps-education-funding-threats/