The Department of Education is responsible for the funds provided to help schools and districts around the country. On May 4th, 1980, the Department of Education was established. This was 45 years ago. For its time standing, the Department of Education assures equal educational opportunities for everyone. They benefit public and private institutions with Federal educational programs and funding.
On March 20th, President Trump announced he was going to sign an executive order dismantling the U.S. Education Department. This will return authority over education to the states. Trump declares,” closing the department beyond its core necessities, preserving Title 1 funding for low-income schools, Pell grants, and money for children.”
A substitute teacher in Walnut Creek, California, has spoken on this current issue, advocating on how many teachers will be eliminated and class sizes will increase. It will jeopardize the quality of instruction by opening the door to unvetted individuals into the classrooms.
On the other hand, a special education teacher in Austin, Texas, voices that they see an opportunity. Parents can take advantage of this change to gain an edge for their children. The limited funding can stop the excessive use of special education and ensure that the funding they have will be used more responsibly.
A middle school science teacher in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, talks about how the dismantling will funnel more resources directly to the states. They express how the focus will be on the students and not on the requirements from the government.
A retired principal in New York affirms with glee how the states will finally be able to make the right decisions. Teachers will have more freedom to teach their students how they fit. They label the DOE as a “ Useless Bureaucracy”.
Republicans have opposed this department since President Jimmy Carter signed it in 1979. They advocated that education shouldn’t be a federal mandate and should be managed by the states. In 1980, President Ronald Reagan addressed his call to Congress on eliminating this nonessential government spending. In the end, he was unable to persuade the Democrats of the House to go along with the plan. Now in 2025, one of President Trump’s first actions is to dismantle the DOE, which is highly supported by his Republican supporters.
People believe dismantling the DOE will create harmful scenarios for students and families. One change is how it will impact low-income students. The states can start limiting funds on books, curriculum materials, mental health programs, and more. It can also cause schools to start losing teachers and counselors due to limited funding.
Another impact will be on protection against discrimination based on race, immigration status, sex, disability, and more. It can lead to experiences of harassment based on these “discriminations”. Education related to civil rights will receive insufficient attention . Kids receiving harm based on these differences will gain no remedy.
Colleges will also start to suffer and be weakened. It will create multiple challenges for students, schools, and taxpayers. It leaves an opening for private entities to exploit the education system for their personal profit.
In a conversation with President Trump, he talks about how “the states will be taking better care of our teachers than how they are being taken care of now.” Programs like Title 1 funding and pell grants will be preserved in full and be taken care of.
On March 20th , Senator Bill Cassidy, the chair of the senate stated he will introduce the legislation to Congress to eliminate the department indefinitely.
Criminally Informed 
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