The Trump Administration made the Executive Order to defund the Department of Education March 20. If passed through Congress, this decision would mean that the funding of schools and decisions made on education would be organized by the state.
“Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities,” a White House statement said.
The Department of Education protects students from discrimination, manages financial services such as loans and grants and oversees the accreditation of agencies. It also keeps track of if schools are meeting the federal standards through state testing and progress monitoring.
“They have an ancillary responsibility in managing complaints around the office of civil rights related to education settings, title nine, and those kinds of pieces within a school district,” District 99 Superintendent Dr. Hank Thiele said.
A big concern the Trump administration has with the current state of the Department of Education is the use of funding. In 2024, 9.9 million students were using federal aid to pay for college, but the financial burden then lies on the Department of Education. The Trump administration claims that with such costly finances and debt, this role should be returned to banks.
“Taxpayers spent around $200 billion at the Federal level on schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of the more than $60 billion they spend annually on Federal school funding,” a White House statement said.
In recent years, test scores have been dropping, leading to concerns about how students are educated. The Trump Administration hopes that if the Department of Education is defunded, states will be able to cater to their own needs.
“This year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math,” the White House statement said.
As far as changes in District 99, it is unclear the effects this may have. Once further steps are taken, it will be more clear the specific plan the Trump administration has for education across the country.
