Can Trump deliver on his promise to repeal the Department of Education?

WASHINGTON — Shutting down the U.S. Department of Education is one of President-elect Donald Trump's more controversial promises.

“We will go back to the states where everything belongs,” Trump said in a campaign speech During the successful march back to the White House. “They can personalize education and do it with love for their children.”

But what are the chances that the Republican leader will follow through on his pledge to repeal the 45-year-old Department of Education?

And if that happens, how will it affect Utah public schools?

For starters, closing the department would require congressional approval — and even if his party controls both sides of Congress, Trump is unlikely to have enough support. The Washington Post reported.

But it is possible.

And even if the president-elect doesn't end the agency entirely, he could scale back or consolidate some federal programs.

Many Republican lawmakers have sided with Trump, arguing that the Department of Education is unnecessary, ineffective and a tool for the “woke” agenda.

During his campaign, Ohio Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno called for the agency's repeal. “We're going to get rid of some of these agencies that don't make sense, like the Department of Education, and just move that money to the states.”

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, meanwhile, Recently told the Deseret News Passage of the REINS Act, which requires legislative approval for bureaucratic decisions affecting the budget, could eliminate entire bureaucratic departments, such as the Department of Education.

The federal government never intended to make decisions for individual school districts, Lee added.

So what exactly does the Department of Education do?

For starters, the Department of Education does not dictate what teachers teach in the classroom.

Instead, the department's biggest K-12 role is overseeing implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires states to monitor the progress of their schools and intervene in low-performing schools in exchange for federal money, including Title I, $18.4 billion in funding. . , According to the teaching week.

The department also administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – a $14.2 billion program that helps schools pay for special education services for students with disabilities.

and, According to the Washington PostThe agency is charged with enforcing civil rights laws that prevent discrimination in federally funded schools based on race, sex, and other factors.

The Biden administration has sought to expand that power, for example, to prohibit schools from discriminating against students based on gender identity.

Trump could do the same — but in the opposite direction and, perhaps, bar schools from allowing transgender girls and women to compete on women's sports teams.

In higher education, meanwhile, the Department of Education oversees the Free Application for Student Aid, or FAFSA, and the vast federal student loan and grant programs (the Federal Direct Student Loans Program has a total outstanding loan portfolio of more than $1 trillion).

Under President Joe Biden, the Department of Education repealed more than $167 billion In student loans for 4.75 million borrowers, about 10% of federal student loan borrowers, The New York Times reported.

Trump and other Republicans have often opposed that effort, arguing that it is unfair to the college educated and an overreach of the agency's authority. Supreme Court agreedShutting down some of Biden's plans.

In 2020-2021, the most recent year for which Federal data is availableThe federal government picked up the tab for 10.6% of the nation's spending on public schools — and that share was boosted by an infusion of COVID-19-relief funds, Education Week reported. Conservatives say the money should be sent back to the states so they can decide how to spend it.

Abolishing the education department may not be without struggle.

Last August, Margaret Spellings, who served as President of the United States George W. Bush, who served as secretary of education, he said. Education Week Superintendents and school boards will push hard against any reduction or elimination of federal dollars that would help them “stay out of the red.”

For Utah teachers – wait and see

So how are education leaders in the Beehive State preparing for the possible elimination of the Department of Education?

Sarah Young, chief of staff for the Utah State Board of Education, told the Deseret News, “It's not clear to any of us yet which of these campaign promises are going to be implemented.” “From our perspective, here in the state of Utah, we will continue to use the federal funds that we have.”

Currently in Utah, federal funds are being used to support the state's Title I schools, as well as students experiencing homelessness.

“That work will continue on a day-to-day basis in Utah schools until we receive notification from the federal level that there will be a change,” Young said.

In the 2023-2024 school year, 108,592 Utah students attended a Title I school, according to Young.