Federal Updates

This week, the Trump Administration announced changes to the H-1B visa program, which allows employers to temporarily hire foreign workers for specialty occupation positions. Many school districts use this program to fill critical vacancies, especially in rural areas where staff shortages are more acute.

Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 will begin on October 1, 2025. Congress must extend funding to keep the federal government open by midnight on September 30 to avert a government shutdown. As Congress heads toward this deadline without a clear path forward, a government shutdown seems increasingly likely. Here’s what district leaders need to know about how they will (and will not) be impacted.

Earlier this month, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its “Strategy Report,” outlining federal initiatives to combat the childhood chronic disease crisis. The report outlines a strategic approach for executive actions to address the childhood chronic disease crisis through “advancing research, realigning incentives, increasing public awareness, and fostering public-private partnerships.”

This article summarizes recent actions by the Trump administration invoking the 1996 PRWORA law to restrict immigrant families from accessing federally funded education programs, including Head Start and dual enrollment. The move has raised legal and equity concerns, particularly about student documentation requirements and a possible challenge to Plyler v. Doe.

Earlier this summer, Congress announced a bipartisan, bicameral working group exploring myriad possibilities related to reforming the Universal Service Fund (USF) program. As a reminder, USF is a program created in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, providing connectivity to four historically underserved communities.

In its Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda updated earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) stated it would issue a number of rules aimed at walking back prior civil rights requirements and aligning program enforcement with the President’s priorities.

On August 31, the House Labor-HHS subcommittee released its FY26 budget proposal, which would affect schools in the 2026–27 school year. The topline: even before accounting for inflation, this plan provides less per-pupil funding for today’s seniors than when they were in kindergarten. After adjusting for inflation, it represents a $32 billion cut in real dollars.

The U.S. Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter that outlines responsibilities of States and districts in providing services to students and teachers in private schools and highlights some flexibilities in how entities may go about doing so.

SchoolSafety.gov has launched the 2025 Back-to-School Campaign, which provides information and guidance to support K-12 schools and districts in preparing for a safe school year. This annual initiative is designed to empower K-12 communities to learn about and engage with resources, trainings, and tools available through SchoolSafety.gov to create safer learning environments for children and educators.

The U.S. Departments of Education, Labor (DOL), and Commerce released a joint plan earlier this month for workforce development, titled “America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age.” The plan aims to reshape the current workforce system and is based on five “strategic pillars”: 1) industry-driven strategies, 2) worker mobility, 3) integrated systems, 4) accountability, and 5) flexibility and innovation.