What Happens If… The Dept of Education Disappears?
By Carol Lerner
January 2025
There has been a lot of chatter in the news these days about President Trump’s plan to shut down the US Department of Education (DOE). Anti-public education ideologues have been calling for its abolishment since 1979, when President Carter established it, and they believe they have a real shot this year. Maybe they do. But it will take approval by Congress, and given the slim party margins, especially in the US House, it isn’t likely to happen this year despite a bill to do just that sponsored by Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. Whether the US DOE closes or not, the Trumpian playbook for education can still be implemented. There is a growing call from far-right circles to keep the DOE open and to weaponize it.
What is clear is that the future of US public education is more endangered than ever. The selection of World Wrestling Entertainment founder Linda McMahon as Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education makes it clear that everything outlined in Project 25’s chapter on education is what Trump and his boss, Elon Musk, want to push through. Here are some of the measures that Project 25 calls for:
• Instituting block grant funding that directs funds to the states for the US DOE’s two most prominent programs, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) funding for special education and Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funding for schools with large numbers of children from low-income families. Project 2025 also calls for the ending of Title 1 funding, phased out over 10 years. Block granting to states will remove federal protections for students with disabilities and allow states to do what they want with the funds.
• Increasing the privatization of education by establishing a federal super voucher, euphemistically called education saving accounts, that will fund vouchers for private schools, homeschooling, learning pods, and tutoring.
• Dumbing down schooling by turning schools into low-skill job training programs with less emphasis on preparation for college and narrowing the curriculum through DEI and CRT prohibitions in the curriculum that challenge true history and science.
• Supporting parents’ rights to attack teachers, administrators, and teacher unions and promote culture war attacks on public education.
Trump’s education secretary nominee McMahon, a billionaire who has practically no education experience and who earlier served in the first Trump administration as head of the Small Business Administration, is currently chair of the board of America First Policy Institute, a thinktank set up to support then-candidate Trump’s policy agenda. The America First Agenda education proposals mirror Project 25, with even more emphasis placed on school choice and parental rights.
What does this mean for Sarasota schools? Sarasota County Schools? We receive about $50 million from the US Department of Education. Most of the revenue goes to funding IDEA special education programs ($12.3 million) and Title 1 ESEA funding for low-income schools ($11.4 million). Title 1 funding provides about $2 thousand extra per child to schools that meet the criteria of having at least 40% of students eligible for free or reduced lunches. The bulk of the elementary schools in Sarasota are Title I schools.
Regarding IDEA special education funding, it is not just the dollars that are of concern but also that the federal government guarantees student and parental rights. This is because IDEA requires school districts to safeguard fundamental rights to receive funding. For example, students must be placed in the least restrictive environment, which prevents the warehousing of students as had happened decades earlier, where special education students were often placed in classrooms in damp basements or in aging strip malls. It also means that students can have opportunities to be educated in regular education classrooms with support.
However, none of the cutbacks and restructuring of federal programs called for by the Project 25 playbook have to happen. Again. a congressional vote is required to change the funding mechanism of IDEA and Title 1 fund programs. In the early months of the new Congress, it will only take one Republican in the House, most likely from a blue or purple district representative, to block passage of a bill. Even in April, when the special elections are concluded, and full delegations will be seated, House Republicans can only afford to lose a few votes.
Support Our Schools will soon launch a campaign to educate residents on the importance of federal funding and safeguards for Sarasota students. SOS will provide a toolkit so advocates can effectively lobby federal legislators on these issues.
Please send us your thoughts at Info@SupportOurSchools.com
