Texas child advocates say English-learning students left vulnerable in wake of DOE layoffs
Statewide and national child advocates are sounding the alarm on impacts to emergent bilingual students, one group among many who have been left with less academic support and resources after mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education.
Almost half of staff at the federal department were recently cut as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to reduce staff across multiple federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Education cuts have resulted in the disbandment of the department’s Office of Language Acquisition, which provides support to English-learning, emergent bilingual students. This student population is among the fastest-growing in Texas with 20% of students statewide — about 1.2 million — identified as emergent bilingual, according to the Texas Education Agency.
The apparent elimination of federal oversight for these students, advocates say, could prompt them to fall behind academically, disengage from school and face lower graduation rates.
“One of the things that a lot of people don’t understand is that while immigration may have partly something to do with this, we are a Latino state in many ways. We are a legal immigration hub in many ways. We have a lot of children here that are American citizens, that are still bi-language learners,” said Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk, during a virtual press conference on Wednesday, March 19.
“This decision effectively eliminates federal leadership, educator support and resources designed to help emergent bilingual kids succeed in school,” he added.
According to Children at Risk, a Texas research and advocacy nonprofit focused on improving children’s quality of life, Texas’ emergent bilingual student population grew by 49% from 2013 to 2023.
The Texas state director of Emgage, a group of organizations dedicated to politically empowering Muslim American communities, shared a story of an emergent bilingual student who received support through middle and high school and graduated speaking fluent English. He is now working full-time and attending college to obtain his bachelor’s degree. Jida Nabulsi, the state director, said many emergent bilingual students don’t realize they have the same opportunities as this student to open doors for themselves.
“They’re already at a disadvantage,” Nabulsi said. “So further taking away these resources… is going to significantly decrease the thriving factor for our immigrant students in public schools, and having the actual equity and opportunity to thrive in their new environments.”
Montserrat Garibay, former assistant deputy secretary and director of the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education, said 5.3 million English learners nationwide will lose access to crucial federal dollars. In addition to the office’s oversight of dual-language programs, it also provided professional development for teachers working with bilingual students. It’s unclear how educators will continue to serve students, especially amid a shortage of qualified bilingual teachers, Garibay said.
“I think it’s important to point out that over 70% of these emergent bilinguals in the U.S, many of them are U.S. citizens. They deserve access to an education system that will help them succeed,” Garibay said. “This is a blunt attack on our most vulnerable students, and we must fight to ensure that they receive the support that they deserve.”
The job cuts appear to be one action in an overall plan to dismantle the education department. Although the department can’t be legally altered or dismantled without the approval of Congress, recent media reports by outlets such as NBC News, NPR and the Wall Street Journal said President Trump was drafting an order to direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate its closure.
On the Wednesday press call, speakers said the cuts create instability within the department and could put federal funding sources at risk for other student groups and programs in Texas. This includes students with disabilities, students who are low-income and students in early childhood or higher education programs. Texas receives the second-highest amount of federal education funding in the U.S. — $13.5 billion — according to a 2025 budget analysis by EdTrust, a nonprofit focused on dismantling racial and economic barriers within U.S. education.
“The Department of Education distributes and oversees $9.2 billion in financial aid through Pell Grants, work-study programs and other forms of assistance for four and a half million Texans who are pursuing higher education. When you think about the fact that 63% of all the jobs in Texas are going to require some level of post-secondary education within the next five years, this would really damage our competitiveness as a state and harm our students’ long-term financial stability,” said Jonathan Feinstein, state director for Texas at EdTrust.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 4:21 PM.
