When Nichole Gangitano’s children came home from school this week, they told her something worrisome.
“They shared that the garden program and the very beloved gardening teacher are not going to be there anymore,” Gangitano said. “And they asked me, ‘Why?’”
It may be hard to explain to young kids, as the gardening programs in San Francisco schools were eliminated for reasons well beyond the family’s control. Last month, President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed AmeriCorps funding, removing support for many volunteer programs nationwide, including the outdoor programs in the already struggling San Francisco Unified School District.
Gangitano, a district parent in the Sunset District and a former AmeriCorps volunteer, said that her school leadership has urged the community to help with fundraising efforts so they can keep all the programs and staff.
Other schools are scrambling to find ways to keep AmeriCorps-funded programs afloat.
“Through AmeriCorps, we’ve had [our gardening teacher] and resources that allowed our students to connect with nature, learn about sustainability, and experience hands-on science in our school garden,” wrote Commodore Sloat Elementary’s principal in a message to the school community. The principal urged families to contact their congressional representatives and push back against the cuts.
At Argonne Elementary, the Climate Corps Education Outside (CCEO) program, which funds a garden educator through AmeriCorps, has been abruptly defunded too. As a result, their garden teacher’s last official day will be May 15.
AmeriCorps in SFUSD
SFUSD has received annual AmeriCorps funding—around $667,000—for more than a decade. In about 40 local public schools, AmeriCorps members provide services like running lunchtime clubs, organizing heritage month celebrations, or managing school “stores” that reward students for good behavior and academic effort. These services are carried out by 17 full-time and about 20 part-time AmeriCorps members.
Some AmeriCorps programs operate outside of direct district control, such as garden education and other children’s enrichment programs, where parent donations help partially fund the volunteer positions.
However, SFUSD’s AmeriCorps support, both direct and indirect, is at risk.
Since Trump took office, AmeriCorps has demanded that local school districts comply with his “anti-DEI” policies, or funding will be canceled. Last month, SFUSD filed a lawsuit in partnership with the City Attorney’s Office against AmeriCorps, challenging what the city describes as illegal conditions that AmeriCorps attempted to impose on its grant recipients.
The City Attorney’s Office said a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking those new conditions and preventing AmeriCorps from rescinding SFUSD’s grant. A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for May 30, 2025.
It remains unclear how the school budgets will be impacted by both the gardening program cuts and the possible lawsuit results.
To make the situation messier, California, among two dozen other states, has also filed a lawsuit this week against the Trump administration to block the latest AmeriCorps cuts.
In the Bay Area, many AmeriCorps volunteers are hired through nonprofits that partner with the federal agency. Gangitano, an eight-year AmeriCorps volunteer and employee, said the organization has a long history of supporting public health education, early childhood learning, environmental education, after-school programs, and foster youth services. During her time there, she helped students with reading.
According to a hiring notice from SFUSD, AmeriCorps roles offer about $3,000 in monthly living stipends, as well as benefits like educational scholarships and student loan relief.
Gangitano believes the program plays an important role in developing young people’s sense of purpose—and in strengthening the school community.
“We’re talking about a whole group of people who have committed a year of their lives to service, and now they’re being told maybe that service isn’t something the United States values,” she said. “I don’t think that’s what San Francisco believes.”