Johnstown, Pennsylvania — which has been battered by floods and economic decline — is one of the poorest cities in the state, and its schools rely heavily on federal funding to serve its students. Nearly a third of the Greater Johnstown School District’s budget came from federal dollars in 2023, funding everything from safer classrooms to career and technical programs in autobody work, welding and cosmetology.
But the federal funding benefiting Johnstown’s public schools may be in jeopardy if the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate the Department of Education come to pass. Last week, the department laid off nearly half of its staff, signaling that the president is serious about his campaign promise to eliminate the agency.
