Rural districts with high proportions of low-income students are highly dependent on federal education dollars, which currently constitute about 8% of public school spending nationwide but fund programs critical to disadvantaged students. Recent shifts by the Trump administration, including proposals to cut federal education budgets by 15%, layoffs at the Department of Education, and efforts to shutter the department, have raised alarms for school leaders. The proposed reductions contrast with bipartisan pushback in Congress aware that these funds support essential initiatives like after-school programs, robotics clubs, and college credit classes. The funding uncertainty has sparked concern about sustaining services for vulnerable student populations.