Cutting AmeriCorps hurts the students who need us most

by Ia Moua | July 28, 2025

The Trump administration claims to prioritize students, but behind the speeches and photo ops, it has shown its true colors by cutting the very programs that keep our students afloat.

Recently, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced the dismantling of AmeriCorps‘ programs in the name of fiscal responsibility. AmeriCorps is the federal agency vital to supporting volunteer and service efforts in California and across the country.

(Even though a federal judge temporarily paused the cuts for California and other states that sued the federal government, the situation remains uncertain, and funding is still not getting through.)

Slashing AmeriCorps isn’t just misguided and shortsighted, it’s an attack on the tutors, mentors and experienced adults who stand between our kids and a system that too often fails them. Now, county superintendents of schools and students across California are already experiencing the cost of these decisions.

For decades, AmeriCorps has been a national service program that places dedicated members in schools and communities to meet critical needs while building their own futures. From Siskiyou to San Diego counties, AmeriCorps members provide direct academic support, mentor youth, expand mental health and social-emotional learning programs, and strengthen school-community partnerships. They help children facing the steepest barriers to success, including poverty, trauma or housing instability.