Velázquez urges Trump administration to reverse ‘illegal’ magnet school funding cuts

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez is urging the federal government to reinstate funding for New York City’s magnet schools, claiming the administration’s decision to cancel already-awarded grants was “illegal” and could impact students for years to come.

The Trump administration in September canceled $47 million in federal Magnet School Assistance Program funds after the city missed a deadline set by the federal Department of Education to change its policies on transgender students.

Federal officials had said the city’s rules allowing transgender students to use facilities and participate on sports teams in line with their gender identity violated Title IX, and said funding would be pulled unless those policies were changed.

The federal DOE canceled five magnet school grants in New York City. File photo courtesy of Gerardo Romo/NYC Council Media Unit

The policies, which align with city and state law, remained in place — though Mayor Eric Adams publicly considered changing them — and the federal government summarily canceled five different five-year MSAP grants. It similarly cut MSAP grants for school districts in Chicago and Virginia.

“The administration is punishing New York children because the city refuses to turn its back on transgender students,” Velázquez told Brooklyn Paper in a statement. “That is unacceptable. Congress approved this funding, and the administration must do the right thing and release it immediately.”

The grants provided “critical funding” for STEAM, arts, engineering, journalism and leadership programs at schools “which have historically served isolated, and overwhelmingly low income, Hispanic and Black students,” according to a lawsuit the city filed against the federal DOE in October.

Five of those schools are located in Velázquez’s district: P.S. 171 Abraham Lincoln, P.S. 86 The Irvington, P.S. 116 Elizabeth L Farrell and P.S. 145 Andrew Jackson, all in Brooklyn; and P.S. 64 Joseph P. Addabbo in Ozone Park, Queens.

P.S. 116 Elizabeth L. Farrell, one of five magnet schools in Velázquez’s district. Photo courtesy of Google Maps

All five schools serve students who are majority Hispanic or Asian, and have higher-than-average numbers of students facing economic hardship, according to city data. The four Brooklyn schools were chosen to become magnet schools in 2022 .

In a Nov. 17 letter to federal Department of Education secretary Linda E. McMahon and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Velázquez said the grant cancellation undermined the DOE’s own goals and could widen opportunity gaps for magnet school students.

“Your administration’s baseless cancellation of millions of grant funding in response to New York City policies that are inclusive and protective of students regardless of gender identity is not only reckless but discriminatory,” Velázquez wrote. “It demonstrates significant disregard for educating our country’s future leaders, and once again, your willingness to put your politics over the well-being of nearly 7,700 students attending the affected schools, five of which are … within my district.”

Velásquez slammed the cuts, and urged the administration to reinstate the funds immediately. File photo by Todd Maisel

The MSAP program was created to support the desegregation of public schools, provide equitable access to high quality education, and create “innovative educational methods and practices,” per the U.S. Department of Education .

“In my district, magnet schools keep students engaged and help boost academic achievements, producing national chess champions, award-winning debaters, and accomplished dancers,” the congress member wrote. “The MSAP program has a proven track record of preparing students for success as they progress on the pathway to higher education.”

She urged the feds to reverse the cancellation “so that our city can continue to protect the civil rights of all students while providing quality education toall students to prepare them to enter the workforce and contribute meaningfully to our economy, culture, and civic life.”

Last month, New York City sued the federal DOE in an effort to get the grants reinstated.

NYC public schools chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, who said the city will continue to fight to reinstate the rest of the grant funds.Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Per court documents, federal officials in the past have found that the city’s MSAP projects were “entirely consistent with Title IX,” and that the Trump administration has a “fixation with upending the Department’s previously accepted interpretation of Title IX.”

The city also said the grant cancellations were carried out “unlawfully,” without observing Title IX’s rules, and were a “clear attempted end run around the Congressional directive that school funding not be pulled on a whim.”

On Nov. 20, the city and the U.S. DOE reached an agreement in federal court that allows NYCPS to use leftover grant funds — about $12 million — from Fiscal Year 2025 for expenses incurred in FY2026. The city will “continue to push to reach a final decision” on the grants for FY2026-28, said schools chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos in a statement.