President Donald Trump, with his grandson Theodore, left, walks on the field before the start of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. Ben Curtis/Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s promises to sign an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education could endanger millions of dollars in funding sent to Maine schools each year.

As recently as this weekend, Trump said he would soon direct Elon Musk and his team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, to investigate the Education Department. “We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse,” the president said in a prerecorded interview before the Super Bowl on Sunday.

For the current school year, Maine public schools received approximately $250 million in federal funding to help pay for special education, school nutrition, multilingual education and technical schools.

As Maine school districts enter their budgeting processes for the next fiscal year, the uncertainty around federal funding has added new challenges.

The state’s largest school district, Portland Public Schools, received $10.6 million in federal funding, about 6.6% of its total budget, in fiscal year 2025. At a budget forum last week, Superintendent Ryan Scallon said the status of federal funding sources was a big unknown in the district’s upcoming budget.

“At this time, my recommendation is that we continue to move forward with our budget process while paying attention to these, to be responsive and know that we have a healthy fund balance to soften any potential negative adjustments in the year,” Scallon said.

He also said federal policy changes to matters like school choice and vouchers could have an impact on funding.

What federal funds do Maine schools receive?

Maine school districts and career and technical education schools, like Portland Arts & Technology High School and the Capital Area Technical School, primarily get federal funding for programs that help students with disabilities, school meal programs, career and technical education, and adult and family literacy.

The U.S. Education Department also allocates general dollars through five title programs to “provide equitable learning environments for all students.”

Title funding addresses learning, economic and language barriers in public schools and helps pay for staff positions, technology and professional development. If not for those grants, the money would otherwise come out of local school budgets.

Each of the five programs addresses a different educational gap. Title I provides money to schools or school districts with economic disadvantages; Title II covers professional development for staff and teachers; Title III enhances programs at schools with English language learners; Title IV provides grants toward technology; and Title V sends money to rural school districts.

How do federal and state funding intersect?  

This can be complicated: Maine schools are funded on a 55% model, where the state pays 55% of the public education costs and the rest is raised through property taxes. The actual percentage that each district pays varies widely, depending on property tax values. Maine Department of Education spokesperson Chloe Teboe said the local and state funding contribution for the 2024-25 school year is more than $2.6 billion.

The $250 million that districts receive from the federal government is separate from those state and local contributions, but is still distributed through the Maine Department of Education, said Teboe.

Federal funding can fluctuate, as it is decided through formula grants, so the amount of money awarded to Maine schools can differ each year, Teboe said.

If we do lose this funding, how would Maine school districts be impacted?

Each school district gets different amounts. Some of the state’s largest districts received millions from the five title programs that support educational gaps. A large chunk of federal dollars is tied to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which covers special education for disabled students and provides more than a million annually in some of the largest districts.

How is the Maine DOE responding to these potential changes?

The department says it is keeping an eye on the situation and has not received any direct communication from the U.S. Department of Education.

“The Maine Dept. of Education is continuing to monitor and assess this dynamic situation at the federal level and will continue to share accurate, clear information, as it is made available,” Teboe said in an emailed statement on Friday.