LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dozens of people rallied outside of schools across the city, responding to President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

Teachers, parents, students and advocates gathered outside of the J. Graham Brown School. Over 60 of these walk-in events will occur over the course of three days at various JCPS schools.

“Today we stand together that our schools are funded at every level because that’s what our kids deserve,” said Maddie Shepard, the president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association.

Trump has said he wants the secretary of education to put herself “out of a job.”

Sarah Yost, an academic instructional coach, was among those gathered outside of the J. Graham Brown School.

“We’re here because we love our kids, all our kids, and we want to meet their needs, and we can’t do that without funding,” Yost said.

Several people attended a walk-in event at Eastern High School to voice their concerns about the DOE. (Spectrum News 1/Geraldine Torrellas)

According to a Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KyPolicy) report, in 2025, Kentucky school districts received $546 million in grants from the DOE. $274 million will go to Title I funding to support low-income students, $182 million to IDEA funding for special education and $42 million will go toward Title II funding to train teachers.

People also gathered at Eastern High School.

“It’s more than just the pencils and the dry erase markers,” said Stephen Johnson, a teacher at Eastern High School. “This is our kids’ futures and their future careers and the jobs that we are training them and the lives that we’re training them to have. This is what we’re fighting for.”

There were several school-aged children at Minors Lane Elementary that held signs and stood in solidarity with teachers, parents and advocates. (Spectrum News 1/Geraldine Torrellas)

A third rally was held outside of Minors Lane Elementary, where Jefferson County Association of Education Support Personnel president Nicole Humphrey expressed her concerns.

“These cuts could be very devastating, not only to our students but also to our workforce,” Humphrey said.

Concerns about funding for districts in rural parts of the state were also raised during the rallies. The KyPolicy report in 2023 said federal funding made up 30 or more percent of several districts’ budgets across the state.

Trump has yet to sign an executive order regarding the DOE. However, the president does not have the power to dismantle the department. Congress would need to approve.

About 50% of the DOE’s workforce will be placed on administrative leave starting on Friday, March 21.