The U.S. Department of Education could soon be dismantled as President Donald Trump readies to sign an executive order shutting down the department. That's according to reports by Politico and NBC News.
While Trump has said the goal is to cut unnecessary federal jobs, spending and waste, education leaders are sounding the alarm about such a move's impact on students.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
NBS News reports that Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, warned Tuesday that Trump's forthcoming order would hurt children and families, especially in vulnerable populations.
“If it became a reality, Trump’s power grab would steal resources for our most vulnerable students, explode class sizes, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections," Pringle said, in a statement "Americans did not vote for, and do not support, ending the federal government’s commitment to ensuring equal educational opportunities for every child."
Speaking with KNX News' affiliate station in Detroit, WWJ Newsradi0 950 shortly after last year's election, Thomas Morgan, spokesperson for the Michigan Education Association, said eliminating the U.S. Department of Education would be devastating to Michigan schools — impacting everything from funding and standards.
"The US Department of Education provides critical services to Michigan, especially when it comes to providing educational opportunities for students with learning disabilities, as well as students in low income areas, rural areas and urban areas in particular," Morgan said, in an interview with WWJ's Dan Jenkins.
In 2023, Morgan said, Michigan received over $450 million through the US Department of Education to help support special education programs for kids who need extra help.
"So, if the US Department of Education were to be eliminated, we would be leaving kids with special needs to fend for themselves, essentially," Morgan said. "We would be leaving students in rural and urban districts without the resources they need."
"So, you know, this would devastate students across the state in suburban schools and urban schools and in rural schools."
Outside of funding and standards for schools, Morgan said the U.S. Education Department oversees programs such as Title 9 — a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational settings.
"So, if you get rid of the Department of Education, you are going to see a lot of school districts that all of a sudden won't need to or won't be required to fund girl sports," Morgan said.
The U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979, under President Jimmy Carter, to coordinate and oversee the nation's education system.
Among other things, the department — with a current workforce of over 4,000 employees — creates policy for education, develops and enforces federal education laws, provides funding for schools, administers federal assistance programs, administers federal student aid programs, collects data on US education, and works to ensure that all students have access to education.
As to how soon schools could see the affects of Trump's move, that is still unclear. The executive branch cannot unilaterally abolish a federal agency without the approval of Congress, which may be difficult for Trump to obtain.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok