While President Donald Trump claimed in a Friday address from the Oval Office that his call to dismantle the Department of Education Thursday was met with “great excitement and great acceptance of it by almost everybody,” that does not actually seem to be the case.
For example, Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti joined Audacy to share how the decision has educators in his state concerned.
These concerns also extend beyond the world of education. According to a Fox News poll published Thursday, 65% of the country were opposed to closing the department. That included 92% of Democrats and 81% of independent voters.
“Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, or you voted for President Trump or not… this isn’t about politics,” Vitti told WWJ Newsradio. “This is about believing in the potential of children regardless of zip code.”
Vitti noted that Trump cannot actually dismantle the department through an executive order, since it was established by Congress. Still, his direction to Education Secretary Linda McMahon signals an intention to move responsibility and funding for public education to the states.
During his remarks Friday, Trump said that “the numbers are horrible the way it is,” regarding American education and indicated that the U.S. is “at the bottom” compared to other countries when it comes to public education. He has made those claims before and they have been debunked.
However, Vitti said there is a need for public education systems in the country to improve. Without support from the federal government for the public education systems most American students rely on, he thinks it will be more challenging to achieve.
“Congress has already approved and committed to a $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion reduction across all federal programs,” said Vitti, who identified a lack of federal funding as his top concern related to Trump’s announcement. He said that about 30% of the budget for his school district is from federal funding.
That goes towards counselors, music and art teachers, academic interventions, literacy instruction, English language programs for immigrant students, field trips, enrichment programs, and after school activities such as chess and robotics. Although Vitti’s district has a rainy-day fund for emergencies, less funding means that some district spending may take a hit, which he said might manifest as staff reductions in the central office.
“Federal funding is talked about as an addition to state funding,” he explained. “It’s like supplemental to the core funding which is state funding. So, whatever you fund federally, you can’t fund out of state money, so there's a separation of funding – and so, there are strict rules on how you can use federal funding.”
A deeper problem mentioned by Vitti lies in the reason why the government began providing federal funds for schools in the 1960s: poverty.
“We all know that poverty still exists in America. And one way for children and families to get out of the cycle of poverty is education.”
In Michigan, state education officials slammed Trump’s order this week. State Board of Education President Dr. Pamela Pugh said that: “federal government needs to do more – not less – to help all children learn and be physically and mentally healthy so they can achieve their dreams.”
As for Trump, he said Friday that he doesn’t think the decision is “even risky a little bit,” and that it will improve the nation’s education system within a matter of years. He also said that the nation’s student loans would be administered by the Small Business Administration going forward and that special education and food programs would be handled by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his support of the decision this week in a press release. There, state education officials also praised the move.
“President Trump’s executive order to return education leadership to the states empowers parents and reduces federal overreach,” said Virginia Board of Education President Grace Creasey. “For too long, bureaucrats in Washington have dictated one-size-fits-all policies that fail to address the unique needs of the Commonwealth’s students and schools. Returning decision-making authority and funding to the states can foster innovation, accountability, and better educational outcomes. This is about putting parents and state and local leaders back in charge of education.”
Another supporter of Trump’s plans to end the Department of Education is Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, an organization that advocates for school choice programs. These programs that allow families to use taxpayer-funded education money to attend private schools or homeschooling have long been supported by Republicans.
However, Vitti said that school choice is simply not a viable approach to tackling the nation’s educational challenges.
“By defunding… schools throughout the country, we’re basically saying that children that are growing up in poverty don’t matter. And there is no effective alternative solution that the president or Congress is offering,” he said. “I mean, there’s talk of vouchers and, you know, putting kids in private schools. At the end of the day, there’s not enough seats in private schools. There’s not enough interest in private schools taking our children at scale. So, at the end of the day, who loses are children and families who need public education more than ever.”