"Because we are low socioeconomic, and it's going to hurt every single one of our kids. Not just our kids in this building, but throughout areas just like ours." Mitchell said.
A campaign promise by President Donald Trump to eliminate the Department of Education has many educators in the Mahoning Valley worried about what their students could lose.
Barbara Mitchell is a teacher at Youngstown Academy of Excellence, a public charter school. She stated that losing funding from the federal agency could worsen the existing learning gaps.
Without federal funding, additional school programs for subjects like literacy, math, and special education are at risk.
A Supreme Court ruling now allows Trump to lay off 1,400 people in the Education Department. The president believes education should be handed over to the states.
Brenda Kimble, a member of the Youngstown City School Board, told 21 News that the proposal does not provide much reassurance for public educators.
"Our state senate is kind of on the same trail as [Trump] is with cutting from public school systems and giving more funding to charter and private schools." Kimble said
School leaders also worry that further cuts to the education department could mean fewer school meals for students who rely on them for nourishment.
"Free lunches, free breakfast...if that all goes away, our kids are going to go hungry. I mean, it's scary. It's very, very scary." Mitchell said.
In the meantime, schools in the Mahoning Valley are taking steps to ensure that students retain vital support.