In an endeavor that aligns with long-standing Republican views, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the restructure of the Department of Education. The directive issued by Trump stipulated that the then Education Secretary Linda McMahon should undertake the necessary steps within permissible legal boundaries to move towards closing the Department of Education, enabling State and local community-based control over education. The complete eradication of the department would be a substantial undertaking, likely necessitating Congressional approval. It’s worth noting, the restructuring process had already begun, with the Trump Administration significantly reducing the department’s staff and overhauling a significant number of its functions in the following weeks after his inauguration.
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Trump’s consultant Elon Musk, had already jettisoned numerous contracts deemed as frivolous and pandering to ‘woke’ culture. The Institute of Education Sciences, the entity responsible for gathering academic progress data nationwide, also experienced significant cuts under the administration. Primarily, the department assumes a fiscal role, supplying an astronomical level of federal support to educational institutions nationwide, simultaneously managing the country’s sizable federal student loan portfolio. Therefore, the department’s dissolution would require the massive task of relocating this responsibility to a different agency.
Furthermore, the Department of Education assumes a critical role in regulating student services, including services for disabled, low-income, and homeless students. Trump intended to use Federal funding strategically, driving his educational plans for schools and colleges. He committed to curbing federal funds for educational institutions endorsing ‘critical race theory’ or other controversial racial, sexual, or political curriculum content. He aims to incentivize instead states and schools holding a stance against teacher tenure and demonstrating support for universal school choice initiatives.
On average, public school budgets receive a small portion – about 14% – from federal funding. In contrast, colleges and universities significantly rely on it via research grants and federal financial aid for student tuition. Let’s delve into the department’s key agenda and how Trump plans to navigate these areas. Starting with, Student loans and financial aid – The Department of Education manages an incredible $1.5 trillion student loan debt accounting for over 40 million borrowers. In addition, the authority supervises the Pell Grant, a targeted aid for students below a certain income level, and administers FAFSA, which universities use to allocate financial aid.
Despite efforts from the Biden administration for loan forgiveness, this has elicited Republican criticism, even instigating legal proceedings from several GOP-led states. Biden’s debt cancellation plans have been labeled by Trump as illegal, unfair, and a ‘total catastrophe’. Touting that they solely tantalize young individuals, Trump’s approach towards student debt reduction remains somewhat elusive with no explicit strategy revealed as of yet.
In terms of civil rights enforcement, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights carries out investigations and provides guidelines on the application of civil rights laws for LGBTQ+ and students of color. The office also manages extensive data tracking disparities in resources, course access, and discipline across different racial and socioeconomic groups. However, the Trump administration has shown a different vision for this office’s role.
Under Trump, the department followed a mandate to supersede complaints of anti-Semitism above any other issues. Moreover, they have opened investigations into educational institutions and sports leagues allowing transgender athletes to compete on female teams. Trump’s campaign advocated for civil rights cases aimed at preventing schools from enacting racial discrimination. In his view, policies for diversity and equity in education equate to undeserving discrimination. His administration proceeds to instigate investigations into colleges speculated of racial discrimination.
Trump pledged to omit transgender students from Title IX protections influencing school pronoun policies, bathrooms, and locker room access. Introduced in 1972, Title IX was initially employed as a women’s rights law, yet Trump seems determined to reinterpret its relevance.
In matters of college accreditation, while the department does not directly award accreditation, it oversees the federal recognition process for accrediting agencies. Higher education establishments require this accreditation to access federal student financial aid. Although termination of the Education Department’s relationship with individual accrediting agencies falls under the Education Secretary’s jurisdiction, it remains a seldom-used and arduous procedure.
The majority of the Education Department’s funding for K-12 schools is allocated through large federal programs such as Title I for low-income schools, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These initiatives offer services to disabled students, create additional teaching positions to reduce class sizes, and fund social workers and other non-teaching roles in schools.
During his campaign, Trump suggested a reversion of these roles to state control. However, how exactly the department’s pivotal functions of disbursing federal funds to local districts and schools would be managed remains ambiguous. Evidently, Trump’s view of the Department of Education reflects a drive for a smaller government footprint and more state and local control. However, the implementation and long-term impacts of such a drastic change would be intricate and far-reaching, without a clear roadmap at this time.
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