PragerU Wants to Capitalize on PBS Defunding

[justaprogressive]

On July 24th, President Trump signed the Rescissions Act of 2025 into law, which clawed back $1.1 billion in previously appropriated federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for the next two fiscal years. Passage of the law left PBS and NPR, the two main beneficiaries, at an unprecedented loss, with a particular impact on the nation’s childhood educational development.

For decades, PBS has been one of the leading figures in educational broadcasting, with PBS Kids content reaching an average of 15 million users a month. Beyond popular shows like Arthur, Super Why! and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, educators and students across the country can get free access to PBS LearningMedia, a K-12 digital learning service established by PBS and Boston member station GBH in 2011. PBS affiliate stations produce their own educational resources for PBS LearningMedia, and also engage in outreach to educators, providing professional development services and updated trainings on best practices. In rural and low-income communities in particular, these services can be a lifeline for teachers, who otherwise may not have these opportunities.

Now, much of this support network could be lost. GBH, which contributes to PBS LearningMedia and extends assistance to other states, is expected to lose $18 million, about 8 percent of their total budget. The station has already laid off 67 employees this year, including 13 after the rescissions bill was signed. “This could limit the ability of districts to integrate high-quality, effective media into instruction or to offer localized professional development tied to national curriculum resources,” said Seeta Pai, vice president of children’s media and education at GBH.

Without public media support, America’s most in-need educators may be forced to turn to other providers of educational materials to be implemented into lesson plans. Some states have offered a controversial alternative: the Prager University Foundation, or PragerU. The ideologically conservative network could become the de facto beneficiary of PBS defunding. However, PragerU capitalizing on this opportunity may not be as simple as it seems.

https://prospect.org/education/2025-08-15-prageru-wants-to-capitalize-on-pbs-defunding/]

[badhair77]

1. Of course, it does.

Facts be damned with that outfit. They share their own biased version of history.

[area51]

2. Dennis Prager

sounds like he's down w/incest.