(The Center Square) — Steps to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education have quieted since the Trump administration started celebrating education victories.
In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to essentially dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Despite this effort, in recent weeks, the department has taken steps on projects such as fighting gender ideology in federally funded curriculum. And Title IX investigations have become a priority.
“There has been very little updated news from the federal government on the status of the U.S. Department of Education,” communications for the Arizona Education Department told The Center Square.
Republicans believe the U.S. Department of Education is a waste of money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should be left to the states and schools. This idea has recently gained popularity with conservative parents as they demand more authority over their children’s schooling.
Some in education believe that this kind of change could have huge negative effects.
“It’s massive. We’re looking at 7.4 million students with disabilities who could potentially be impacted by changes with funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” explained Leslie Babinski, a research professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy.
“There are 9.8 million students in rural schools who depend on federal support for bridge funding in communities with more limited local tax bases. It’s going to impact so many people,” said the professor at the school, which is part of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. “If it doesn’t impact you and your family directly, you’ll know someone who is impacted.”
A big part of this initiative is to give the power back to the states, but Babinski argued that only 10% of public school funding comes from the federal government.
States already control local funding but there is a push for “block grants” — a form of federal funding provided to state and local governments for broadly defined purposes
The real issue, Babinski said, is the impact of federal programs that are focused on low-income communities and disabled students.
“So if we think about handing that funding over to the states to make their own decisions, they may or may not prioritize those groups in terms of enhancing the educational opportunities for students from low-income communities or students with a range of disabilities,” Babinski said.
Yet Secretary of Education Linda McMahon explained back in April that those kinds of programs would not change if the department was dismantled.
“The president has said from day one that dismantling the Department of Education will not mean defunding those programs,” Secretary McMahon said. “That money is appropriated by Congress … parents, teachers and kids should not be worried.”
Other education officials think the U.S. Department of Education is useless.
“Shutting down the U.S. Department of Education would not result in a loss of federal formula funding for Arizona,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said.
“I have seen comments saying that the federal department is needed because national test scores in reading, writing and math have gone down over the past 40 years. That just proves the USDoE is useless since those declines happened under its watch. The money used to operate this bureaucracy should go to local schools instead,” Horne said.
According to a report by the Office of Management and Budget at the White House, more than half of Department of Education employees don’t bother coming into the office to work.
According to Horne, the department is “hopelessly ineffective.”
“This is a waste of taxpayer dollars, shows a poor work ethic and sets a bad example to teachers and students who gather in person to learn. Educators should have a passion for academic excellence, but that is not evident at USDoE,” Horne said.
The Center Square reached out to the White House and U.S. Department of Education but has not received a response on whether dismantling the department continues to be a priority.
