With President Trump creating many new policies within his first 100 days, talk of abolishing the Department of Education has arisen. The Department of Education was initially established by Jimmy Carter in 1980 which was established to support state and local education systems. There is no specific date on when or if the department will truly be abolished, but at any given time, Trump has the power to sign into law an executive order at the White House to get rid of the Department of Education for the time of his second term in hopes to limit government spending.
The Department of Education isn’t the only department Trump wants to shut down. Trump believes that education should be left up to the states due to pushing political ideology on students instead of relying on the federal government. He believes this will help ‘expand’ school choices for students.
Most Americans see getting rid of the Department of Education as a harmful thing. This would mean public schools will not receive their normal amount of funding, especially smaller schools who depend on it more than others.
The Department of Education benefits students with disabilities and prepares them for the education system’s future. Taking these fundamental elements away could harm students and teachers instead of benefiting them. According to NeaToday Magazine, Becky Pringle, the National Education Association President stated, “If it became a reality,” Pringle said, “Trump’s power grab would steal resources for our most vulnerable students, explode class sizes, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections.”
Legally, presidents can only change established governmental departments so much. According to PBS News, “Most legal experts agree that no president can unilaterally shut down an established government department or agency, but that hasn‘t stopped them from trying to dismantle agencies that they don’t like.”
The dismantling of the Department of Education will not only hurt K-12 students but also students with higher education. It may take college students longer to pay back student loans. According to Time Magazine, “Borrowers are now repaying their loans without the protections provided by the Biden administration that eased the resumption to monthly payments post-pandemic. Just as the need for assistance is rising, dismantling the Department of Education would perilously reduce its capacity to help.”
Republicans believe that the Department of Treasury should be responsible for student loans, not the Department of Education.
The talk of trying to completely get rid of the Department of Education is causing lots of confusion. The department is best known for providing federal student loans to contribute to helping students. The department helps lower-income students and families, administers grants, defends students from discrimination, is essential for students with disabilities, provides career paths for working adults, ensures loan forgiveness, and provides programs for historically black colleges and universities.
Taking these opportunities away from students will lead to more future disadvantages than advantages. This political push could also potentially cause teachers to lose their jobs due to a lack of funding which affects salary. This could also make future educators have a harder time finding a job in the education field.
Ultimately, most people agree that dismantling the Department of Education will cause chaos in the education system. As we wait to hear Congress’ approval, many still wonder what the fate of the department will look like.
