On March 20th, President Donald Trump signed an executive order attempting to dismantle the Department of Education (ED). The results of the order are murky at best, but what stands out is how it will affect disadvantaged students.
To understand what could happen without the ED, it’s important to understand what it does. It all comes down to money, which is spent specifically for supporting disadvantaged students. Its goal, directly quoted from the U.S. Department of Education’s website is “To promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”
The ED raises awareness for students and the education systems who are at a disadvantage. It helps parents and students find efficient and effective means of support. The ED enforces things like 504 plans, oversees federal student loans and provides funding for free meals for students.
President Trump’s order plans to “facilitate the closure of the Department of Education,” but this doesn’t mean the department will be shuttered—that would require an act of Congress. So far, no bill has been officially approved for the removal of the ED, although bills H.R.938 and H.R.899 are being introduced in the House now.
These bills are unlikely to pass as Republicans hold both the House and Senate with small majorities. In the Senate, these bills would require a total of 60 out of 100 votes for passage and there are only 53 Republicans in the Senate at the moment.
If these bills do pass, not all functions from the ED will be removed. Support for disabled students such as 504 plans will be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Treasury Department would supply student loans.
Still, with the halved ED employees and a possible transfer of departments, there is a possibility for errors and overall there will be less funding for programs. In fact, a specific section, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has had a large cut of employees, from 100 to 3 people. The role of NCES is to keep track of the state of schools across the US. They also supply the information for eligibility needed for Title I, a federal program providing eligible low-income schools with needed money. Almost 90% of school districts benefit from this program.
Another program NCES works with is the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), which works with rural schools. Both this program and Title I could be and already are affected with only 3 employees left and a possible complete removal. There is a chance that REAP won’t get enough funding for the next school year.
Overall, it isn’t likely that the Department of Education will be shut down, but the cut to the workforce and money could have a negative impact on the most vulnerable.
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