Congressman Jay Obernolte met with concerned Victor Valley educators at the Hesperia Library this week to discuss the impact of federal cuts to the Department of Education on students with disabilities, students in rural areas and programs that feed hungry children.
Four educators from local school districts met with the representative, including constituents Jim Resvaloso, Sultana High School history teacher and President of the Hesperia Teachers Association, and Greg Abt, a former special education history teacher in Beaumont Unified District and California Teachers Association Board Member.
Both educators expressed the critical need for funding in District 23 schools, they said.
CTA Board of Directors Greg Abt, District O, speaks with Canyon Ridge High School Teacher Dennis Canady, center, and Sultana High School Teacher Jim Resvaloso, right, after their meeting with U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte at his office in Hesperia on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
Obernolte responded to inquiries made by the Daily Press about the meeting at the Hesperia Library. He said he always enjoys meeting with his constituents and especially appreciated the “productive conversation” with local teachers.
“[The conversation] gave me the opportunity to listen to the people working directly with our children every day,” Obernolte told the Daily Press. “I will continue to fight to ensure our students get the federal funding and resources they need to succeed in the classroom.”
District educators fight for funding
The meeting with Obernolte took place during the congressional recess, when members of Congress were given time to return to their home districts to meet with constituents.
After the Hesperia meeting, Abt told the Daily Press that it is clear Obernolte is opposed to funding cuts for students in the district, but “would not commit to protecting the Department of Education, an institution that ensures that our communities receive these funds and services.”
Resvaloso is most concerned about the impact cuts to education will have on students with disabilities.
He says there are over 3,000 students with special needs in Hesperia who depend on federal resources for critical support and services to access a high-quality education alongside their student peers.
“Losing these resources would devastate a special education program that is already severely underfunded,” he said after the meeting.
Other Hesperia residents have been vocal about the need for funding for special education programs as well and have organized protests and rallies in front of Obernolte’s Hesperia office in the past.
High Desert residents gather outside of Jay Obernolte’s Hesperia office to protest Medicaid cuts.
Cuts to the Department of Education
The Hesperia Library meeting was timely, district educators told the Daily Press, because federal education funding is currently under attack, leaving much up in the air for educators.
Last month, USA Today reported that President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, which he said was “45 years in the making.”
The Department of Education supplies a small percentage of funding to public schools, enforces anti-discrimination laws, and administers the Student Aid Program. It also oversees federal student loans held by nearly 43 million people, or one in six American adults, according to the Congressional Research Service.
“We have to keep up the momentum with these critical demands for students in our local schools,” Abt urges.
Communities in Obernolte’s district rely on more than $455 million dollars in federal funding annually, sources at the Hesperia meeting told the Daily Press. Educators say they will continue to call on Obernolte to champion strong federal support for these essential education programs and commit to protect vital funding for students upon his return to Congress.
McKenna is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Local educators confront Obernolte at Hesperia Library