Ed Department SmackDown Threatens Schools Everywhere
Highlighting the funding threats
Donald Trump spent little time on the campaign trail talking about education - except to push “school choice” and label public school teachers “the enemy.”
Still, Project 2025 - Trump’s playbook - made clear the Department of Education would be dismantled.
Trump’s selection of former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education signaled he was and is serious about taking steps to end the agency.
Last week, Trump took further steps - laying off employees of the department and moving forward with what McMahon described as the agency’s “final mission.”
Save Our Schools Arizona reports on what this means:
Why does it matter? Make no mistake — this is not just an attack on “bureaucracy,” and it’s not in any way going to make anything more efficient. Let’s call this what it is: a direct assault on millions of students, teachers, and families. Trump’s actions have already triggered mass layoffs, with thousands of Dept. of Ed employees losing their jobs overnight. Many of those laid off are lawyers who work to oversee and protect the civil rights of America’s students. Others run programs to fund school meals, after-school tutoring, and major programs like IDEA for students with disabilities and Title I for low-income students.
Specific to Arizona, the implications for cuts are severe:
In a state as dramatically underfunded as Arizona, any cuts or freezing of federal funds is a death knell for public schools. Arizona could lose $957,000,000 a year in Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and other grants.
Education Law Center offers a tool so that people in all states can see what could happen if cuts are implemented.
The Arizona numbers are staggering. An analysis of the impact in Kentucky shows at least $500 million at risk.
Here’s what’s at risk:
Title I funds for low-income students: $274 million. Title 1 dollars support education for kids in high-poverty schools. Funds can go to pay teachers, promote parent engagement, operate afterschool programs, fund mentoring and counseling, and provide other services. Over 70% of Kentucky schools are eligible for Title I funding.
IDEA funding for special education: $182 million. These funds help support the extra costs of special education and services for kids with disabilities, including preschool. Dollars can be used to hire and train special education teachers, provide assistive equipment and therapy services, and support specialized transportation, among other costs.
Title II funds for teacher training: $42 million. These grants can be used for professional development, training school leaders, advancing educators along career paths, and other uses that improve teacher quality.
Title IV funds for student support and academic enrichment: $35 million. These funds help support a well-rounded education, such as through art and music programs, career and technical education, and foreign languages; promote safety and health through interventions like mental health services and anti-bullying programs; and fund the effective use of technology.
Even if the department’s dismantling impacts only some of these funds, the downstream impacts could be devastating.
Combined with cuts at the USDA - the department that administers school lunches - public education could see significant losses as Project 2025 plays out.
The Guardian reports:
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has slashed two programs that provided more than $1bn for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranchers.
A chart of awards for the two local food programs funded by the USDA tells the story of how much states stand to lose as a result of the cuts.
Tennessee was awarded more than $20 million for these efforts in FY 2025.
However, the public education advocacy group Public Funds for Public Schools made clear in congressional hearings this week that money does matter. A lot.
Let’s just repeat for the 1000th time, with a go-to reference if you need it: research is “essentially settled” on this question: more money improves both short-run and long-run student and community outcomes.
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