Tamara Alsace, an associate investigator for City University of New York’s Initiative on Immigration in Education and a retired Buffalo Public Schools administrator, does not pretend to speak for the entire education community.
But her feelings about Donald Trump’s presidential administration reflect a common theme.
“I say we should prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” she said a few days before the inauguration.
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What does the dawn of Donald Trump’s second presidential term mean for Buffalo’s students? Three equity advocates, the Buffalo School Board and a Canisius University director were among those to share their perspectives.
Alsace is joined by local and state equity advocates, the Buffalo School Board and a Canisius University director in speaking out about perceived threats to education that the president is considering in his second term in office.
They are less worried about the possible-but-unlikely elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, as well as the nomination of Linda McMahon as education secretary. The overwhelming concern is for Buffalo’s disadvantaged populations – especially undocumented and Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students.
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The Trump administration is of particular interest to leaders of advocacy and nonprofit organizations focused on equity, such as Jeff Smink, deputy director of Education Trust-New York, and Samuel L. Radford III, co-convener of the WNY Educational Equity Task Force.
Smink said he believes disadvantaged students’ worries about what might happen are already taking a toll.
“There’s a mental health component,” he said. “Students are rightly really concerned – maybe they don’t see what the future is for them, or if they’re Black or Latinx or LGBTQ, they don’t think the country is supportive of them.”
The 19th reports that while much is still unknown about how Trump will carry out some of his big promises, Project 2025 and what he's said so …
Radford, with more than 30 years as a parent and community advocate in Buffalo, was more optimistic. He was worried about possible implementation of Project 2025, a conservative political doctrine, but thought Buffalo’s improved unity could prove resilient against national pressures.
“I don’t think there’s a reason to be pessimistic,” he said. “I think there’s a reason to be vigilant.”
Concern for immigrants
The threat: The Trump administration has planned a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, intends to soon restrict immigrants entering the U.S. and could challenge asylum protections, as he did toward the end of his first term. He has already worked to overturn birthright citizenship – although a federal judge has already temporarily blocked that executive order – and threatened mixed-status families, which may have children born in the United States from undocumented parents.
The preparation: In December, Alsace urged Buffalo Schools’ administration to make sure its 60 schools knew the law and district protocol if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were to appear on school grounds in search of an undocumented student. Her message resonated then, but is less relevant now: Trump has overturned a federal guideline to say ICE officials can now enter protected areas such as schools or churches without a court order or subpoena.
The 46-year-old University at Buffalo grad, a high-ranking official of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, was recently named by Trump as the acting director of that agency.
While districts do not report statistics of undocumented students, Alsace told the Buffalo School Board that she estimates a few thousand students would either be undocumented or have parents without documentation. Superintendent Tonja M. Williams Knight assured Alsace that her administrative staff and building leaders were familiar with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other civil rights protections for students.
Spokesperson Jeffrey Hammond in mid-January said Buffalo Schools is “closely monitoring” any potential threats toward students.
“The Board and BPS will not permit access to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to BPS buildings, students and staff, unless legally required to do so.” He added that BPS’ Student Support Teams are prepared to help students who may be concerned about separation from their parents. To improve student privacy, all students have been given a four-digit PIN number to communicate when sharing student-specific information over the phone.
If President-elect Donald Trump carries out his promise to conduct mass deportations of migrants next month, the detention center in the Town of Batavia could play a crucial role.
Potential impact: Alsace said undocumented students and their families are likely most at risk, but there is some concern, too, for refugees and asylum seekers who have come to the United States legally. That is why she has urged school districts to reassure students and brush up on their legal responsibilities.
“People can be so volatile, and we don’t know what the climate will be like,” Alsace said, referring to the Trump administration and loyalists. “All of these people are feeling empowered.”
Alsace doubled down on her advocacy for immigrant-origin students.
“We can’t stay silent for four years and see what happens,” she said. “It would set us back, I think.”
Republican leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, former mayor of North Tonawanda, argued that undocumented students are a financial impediment to districts in Western New York.
“Open-border policies have placed a huge burden on local schools, draining resources and jeopardizing the education our children deserve,” Ortt said in a statement. “President Trump’s plan to secure the border prioritizes Western New York students and ensures their needs come first.”
The rhetoric effect
The threat: Anti-immigrant rhetoric may increase. Trump at various points has targeted Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian and Mexican migrants, as well as African and Latinx populations. Alsace referenced the “build the wall” language that accompanied Trump’s last term in office.
"Play is essential not only for healing but breaking down barriers. Play is the most important job of a child," Elizabeth Meg Williams said.
What’s being done: Buffalo School Board at-large member Larry Scott in December submitted a resolution that reinforced the state’s Dignity for All Students Act, which protects students from harassment and discrimination based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, nationality and gender identity.
The resolution emphasized the district’s diversity and its immense populations of traditionally marginalized students: 6,600 students with disabilities, 5,100 English language learners and 25,000 students who are economically disadvantaged.
Staff and parents in Buffalo Schools were “fearful and uncertain about what’s coming,” he said, which prompted the resolution. It was co-sponsored by the entire Board and passed unanimously, and Hammond, the district spokesperson, emphasized Buffalo Schools’ commitment to the resolution.
Funding and DEI questions
The threat: Federal funding may be cut for schools, and those that emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be targeted.
How that might affect Buffalo: Smink said Buffalo Schools receives $65 million this school year from the federal government, including $33 million in Title I funding, which affects low-income students. That represents less than 10% of the district’s overall budget, but it touches several areas.
Ed Trust-NY’s deputy director rattled off programs in Buffalo that at least partly rely on federal funding: special education services, multilingual and adult education and after-school programming. A deeper dive into the district’s budget shows Buffalo receives federal support for literacy support, tutoring and other academic interventions.
“The funding aspect will be really problematic,” Smink predicted. While Buffalo’s culturally and linguistically responsive initiative (CLRI) department is growing and has helped students better understand their background, identity and expression, just because it is largely state-funded does not mean it will not be a target, he said.
“It’s kind of a dark period for a lot of people, particularly students,” Smink said.
A global change?
What the threat is: The future of the U.S. Department of Education is uncertain, but, at minimum, will likely experience some change.
In a move to deepen efforts to make a Canisius University education affordable to all students in its Buffalo community, Canisius is launching a four-year, full-tuition scholarship available to any qualifying student whose home ZIP code starts with “142,” Canisius President Steve Stoute said.
How that might affect Western New York: Meg Keller-Cogan, Canisius University’s director of graduate educational leadership and supervision, has worked in almost every school environment in her career: public and private, as teacher and administrator, in K-12 and higher-education, and with general classrooms and in special education. Like the equity leaders, she is concerned about students with disabilities and funding for low-income districts, but from a Canisius perspective, she is most concerned about the overall standard of student cultivated in the U.S.
“The government has tried to be that equalizer to make sure we remained competitive internationally,” Keller-Cogan said. “It was economic forces that drove the U.S. government to get more engaged in education policy.”
In addition to well-documented worries about applying for financial aid, the Canisius director believes the U.S. Department of Education bears watching. Its role, historically, has been to set an education standard through policy and curriculum, as well as to motivate lagging states to improve. Will Trump transfer some of its responsibilities to other departments? Will the federal government leave states alone to pursue their own education paths?
As they tally their fall census, several Western New York institutions, including St. Bonaventure University, are celebrating their highest enrollments in years.
Keller-Cogan is less worried about students in New York and Connecticut, which traditionally have strong and active education departments. But will other states, without federal pressures, continue to produce students able to compete for elite jobs in a global marketplace? Will they stay hungry to achieve?
“It’s not just standards for education,” Keller-Cogan said, “but the work ethic – we have to assure it’s there.”
Is Buffalo well-prepared?
Radford, the Educational Equity Task Force leader, sees two sides. He said Buffalonians should “brace ourselves,” should some of Trump’s ideas – especially with civil rights protections and disadvantaged populations – be executed. But he sees positives in plans to give more educational control to parents and can see the value of greater school choice. More competition could sharpen the overall education landscape, he said.
Rising enrollment, a commissary kitchen to chip away at Buffalo's child poverty rate, modified sports to reduce kids' idle time, and an attentive, focused superintendent are all reasons for optimism.
“I don’t think we should see Trump as the ‘Boogieman,’ “ Radford said. “We have to see him as the president.”
Radford said that the task force, which connects education leaders with clergy, higher-education representatives, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and business leaders, among others, can help “insulate” Buffalo from negative changes. He praised the leadership of Williams Knight, a decrease in public division among the Buffalo School Board, and a more collaborative spirit of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.
“The Trump administration actually helps us because it requires us to stay unified,” Radford said. “If things do happen that affect Buffalo, we have a strong united voice.”
Ben Tsujimoto can be reached at btsujimoto@buffnews.com, at (716) 849-6927 or on Twitter at @Tsuj10.