Editorial: Trump delivering on Education Dept. promise
The Trump administration is making significant strides in its efforts to diminish the influence of the Department of Education, a move that has garnered both support and criticism. According to a recent report by The Washington Post, key grant programs within the department are being reassigned to other Cabinet agencies. Notably, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Postsecondary Education will be transferred to the Labor Department, while the International Foreign Language Education program will shift to the State Department. These changes reflect a broader strategy to decentralize educational governance, giving more power to state and local authorities rather than maintaining a centralized federal bureaucracy.
Historically, the Department of Education was established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, primarily to appease teachers’ unions. However, critics argue that it has failed to improve American public education, with its budget ballooning from $14 billion to an estimated $268 billion for fiscal year 2024. This financial increase has not translated into better educational outcomes, as U.S. test scores remain stagnant and college costs continue to rise, leaving many graduates burdened with debt. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has articulated that the goal of this reorganization is to empower state and local education officials, allowing them to manage funds without the constraints of federal mandates. She contends that this shift will not jeopardize essential programs for low-income students or students with disabilities, as federal funding for these initiatives predates the existence of the Department of Education.
Supporters of the Department of Education argue that these reforms could undermine vital programs at local schools, but McMahon and other proponents of the reorganization dismiss these fears as unfounded. They emphasize that the federal government currently contributes a mere 8.5% to local education spending, suggesting that the real power lies in the federal government’s ability to impose regulations rather than in the funding itself. As this administration continues to push for educational reform, it remains to be seen how Congress will respond to these changes. While eliminating the Department of Education entirely would require legislative action, the Trump administration’s current strategy marks a significant departure from previous Republican attempts to reform or dismantle the agency. As the debate continues, the implications for American education and the balance of power between federal and state governance will be pivotal in shaping the future of educational policy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNQ3CxPzu1I
The Trump administration is moving forward with efforts to neuter the Department of Education. The move couldn’t come fast enough.
The Washington Post reported this week that various grant programs within the department will be moved under other Cabinet agencies. This includes the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Postsecondary Education, which will become part of the Labor Department. International Foreign Language Education will become part of the State Department.
It would take an act of Congress to eliminate the Education Department outright, but the White House does have leeway to downsize and reorganize its functions.
President Jimmy Carter created the department in 1979 as a sop to the teachers unions. Since then, it has done virtually nothing to improve the state of American public education while its budget has jumped from an original $14 billion to $268 billion in fiscal 2024. Meanwhile, U.S. test scores lag and the price of college has soared, leaving many graduates buried in debt.
Republicans from Ronald Reagan on have repeatedly vowed to dismantle the agency, but Trump is the first to follow through.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon noted that the goal is to give state and local education officials more discretion rather than to shackle them with the edicts that often accompany federal funding.
“The shutdown proved an argument that conservatives have been making for 45 years,” McMahon wrote in a recent op-ed for USA Today. “The U.S. Department of Education is mostly a pass-through for funds that are best managed by the states.”
Defenders of the department scare parents by claiming reforms will mean the end of vital programs at their local schools. Nonsense. “It simply means the end of a centralized bureaucracy micromanaging what should be a state-led responsibility,” McMahon explained.
“Funding for low-income students and students with disabilities predates the Education Department and will continue indefinitely. Protecting students’ civil rights is work that will never go away.”
Indeed, the federal government supplies only about 8.5% of local education spending. “But the feds need relatively little money to exert power,” writes Neal McCluskey of the Cato Institute. And that power burdens school districts with edicts and mandates that often discourage reform and experimentation while doing little to improve student outcomes.
Eliminating the Department of Education was one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises, and he deserves credit for moving forward where other GOP leaders got cold feet. Trump and McMahon should next put heat on Republicans in Congress to finish the job.
Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service
Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley (Creators Syndicate)
