U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, along with a group of senators, has called on the U.S. Department of Education to restore $168 million in grants for the Full-Service Community School Program (FSCS) that were discontinued across 12 states. The senators addressed their concerns in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon following the Department’s decision on December 12, 2025.
Community schools are public institutions that provide not only education but also services such as health programs, nutrition assistance, and learning opportunities for families. There are currently 22 community schools in Hawaii that have previously received federal support for their initiatives.
The senators argued that cutting this funding mid-year will force schools to end important programs supporting student academic achievement and access to food, housing, and health care. They also questioned the Department’s explanation that these grants violate civil rights law or conflict with policy priorities, stating the justification was unclear and recipients had little time to respond.
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote: “We write to express our strong opposition to the Department of Education’s (“the Department”) recent action on December 12th, 2025, to discontinue $168 million in Full-Service Community Schools grants serving students across 12 states. Pulling expected federal grant funds from public schools in the middle of the school year, built around community partnerships and parent engagement, is just plain wrong. Congress authorized and appropriated funds specifically for the Full-Service Community Schools program because research shows community schools improve student academic achievement, reduce chronic absenteeism, and support student wellbeing. We demand that the Department fully reinstate all Full-Service Community Schools grants that were abruptly discontinued.”
They continued: “The Full-Service Community School grant program supports school districts and public schools in their mission to meet students’ needs so they can succeed academically and in life, focusing on the school as a community center that can connect families to food, housing assistance, medical care, and other services. This unnecessary termination of education funding is alarming families, disrupting carefully-planned programs that support children, and jeopardizing services for thousands of students in underserved communities.”
The letter also stated: “The Department claims that affected grantees violate civil rights law or conflict with the administration’s policy priorities, but this rationale lacks any specificity. Grant recipients received letters providing few details, and just one week or less to appeal. These discontinuations directly contradict bipartisan congressional intent for this program. In 2023, Congress increased annual funding for the Full-Service Community Schools program from $25 million to $150 million, which was maintained in fiscal year 2024 and 2025 appropriations laws, reflecting bipartisan recognition that schools serving high-poverty communities require comprehensive support. All federal grants must abide by applicable requirements, but the Department has failed to produce legitimate reasons, including any grantee performance-related information, to discontinue multi-year grants that Congress authorized and appropriated, that grantees are implementing successfully, and that provide essential services to our underserved students.”
They concluded: “We demand that you reinstate all community school grants that have been abruptly discontinued and respectfully suggest that the Department refocus its efforts to support community schools in their efforts to meet the needs of and improve education outcomes for all students.”
The letter was signed by Senators Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM).
Recent increases in congressional appropriations show bipartisan recognition of these programs’ importance; funding rose from $25 million annually before 2023 up to $150 million per year since then.
