President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to dismantle the Department of Education. This is a long-standing lawsuit that affects how billions of dollars in federal funds for California are distributed to millions of students, educators and institutions.
“We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as soon as possible,” Trump said at a White House event to celebrate his executive order. “It’s not helpful to us. We want our students back to America.”
Trump has pledged that key mandated programs (grants to low-income college students and Title I funding to serve disadvantaged families and students in programs for students with disabilities) will continue uninterrupted under the control of other institutions.
The division’s demolition has been unofficially underway for several weeks, but requires council approval to close it completely.
But in California, Trump’s impact on education is already growing. The administration has pulled federal funds from entities that were not in line with his agenda, particularly Trump’s opposition to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program, or the DEI, and his efforts to eliminate anti-trans students as protected groups.
The administration has cancelled $148 million in a California teacher training grant aimed at addressing a keen teacher shortage and promoting a diverse educational workforce. That cancellation is now in front of the court.
Additionally, cutting staff in the education sector in half this month has affected the institution’s ability to perform routine but important tasks, including council mandated tasks, such as grants and loan programs for students.
Recent cuts have been particularly deep in research and research by the Civil Rights Bureau. Nevertheless, the Civil Rights Bureau has launched major investigations and enforcement measures against universities and K-12 districts accused of not trying to stop anti-Semitism or enabling transgender students to participate in women’s sports.
Here are some key points to understand the future of the sector under Trump:
Trump said the closure would bring education back to the state. But it’s already there.
Trump’s orders and repeated official statements focus on what the president calls his “dream” of “returning education back to the country.”
The nation already managed most aspects of education – and control has been heading towards the state in recent years.
“The state can promote education, and the community will say a lot about what they do,” said Pedro Noguera, dean of the USC Rossier School of Education. “It’s federal leadership that goes missing.”
There was a time when the federal government took more control. For example, when the National Guard forces Southern schools to allow black students to join the same campus as white students.
In 2001, another period of time was underway where no children were left. This is a bipartisan effort that joined Senator Ted Kennedy and President George W. Bush. The school was given a 2014 deadline to raise all students to academic proficiency and face penalties. That effort failed.
As schools were trying to recover from recession funding cuts, Obama continued his throne somewhat by adopting positive policies, such as hanging large grants and using test scores to assess teachers. The efforts vanished towards the end of the Obama administration.
Current law does not prevent states from establishing curriculum, learning standards, or accountability measures.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was on hand to sign the executive order, but both celebrated Trump’s actions and acknowledged the inherent contradictions in comments circulated by the White House.
“Abolishing the sector will lead to a new era of American education excellence,” DeSantis said. “The states are already running the curriculum and running educational programs.” Desantis’ view is that cutting “red tape” means that the state can achieve more and more quickly.
But what DeSantis sees as a throttle control, California Rep. Al Muratuch (D. Rolling Hills Estate), sees it as necessary surveillance.
“This isn’t just about federal fund issues,” said Muratuch, a former school board member who chairs the Congressional school board. “This is an issue regarding the federal responsibility to investigate and enforce federal laws that we have fought for decades, especially for students with disabilities.”
Trump supporters and Chino Valley Unified Education Board Chairman Sonja Shaw said simply postponing the state might not be enough. Before Trump’s election, her district went ahead with policies consistent with Trump’s policies, and state officials stopped some of them through lawsuits and law.
“Currently, California holds school districts hostages with funding, forcing them to adhere to radical policies that undermine parental rights and destroy public education,” Shaw said. “If Trump’s plan involves detouring corrupt state governments and powers on communities, that would be a game-changer.”
President Trump has no authority to shut down the Department of Education, but it has not been a problem so far.
The issue could go to court, but Education Secretary Linda McMahon admits that Congress must be involved at some point in time to be fully effective.
But in the meantime, she’s trying to finish it as much as she can — and critics say she’s doing more than she’s legally allowed. This is where the lawsuit and courts are already in the picture.
Congress can intervene by giving Trump the authority he wants, or taking strong action to make it clear that he lacks authority.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said Thursday that he would “support the president’s goals by bringing the law to achieve this as soon as possible.”
Democrats vowed to fight back.
If the education sector is closed, programs that many consider Vital will lose funding.
The reductions have already ruined the department’s ability to fund, evaluate and disseminate research.
“We are pleased to announce that Gabriel Buerna, an elected trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District,” said: “Without reliable data, it becomes easier to ignore systemic obstacles and leads to policies that support the elite’s interests in public education.”
Linda Darling Hammond, president of the California Board of Education, pledged Thursday to honor the legislature’s mandatory commitment, but said it is likely to be a problem due to reduced staffing and divisional dispersal.
“We’ve already cut a lot of staff out of the department. Can it be done in that function? HR cuts can affect the ability of both programs and students who have federal loans to get money through the door,” Darling Hammond said.
“If programs are distributed, they are less consistent and the impact on districts and states must be reported to multiple departments for multiple different programs,” she added.
The outlook for punitive cuts is looming if California and its educational institutions refuse to comply with Trump’s policy stance on LGBTQ+ rights and DEI programs.
But Madison Minor, a parent of Orange County and former school board member, believes Trump’s executive order has only advantages.
“For too long, this bureaucracy has failed our children and pushed the political agenda rather than focusing on actual education,” said Minor, who chairs Mama’s Orange County Chapter for Freedom. “Not Washington’s bureaucrats, but parents, teachers and the community know what’s best for their children.”
California education institutions are on a clash course with the Trump administration.
California leaders and educational institutions have long pursued policies that are primarily established by opposing Trump or that go against his agenda.
California’s Democratic leaders are particularly in conflict with the Trump administration over state support for immigrants who are not permitted to live in the United States and measures to designate LGBTQ+ individuals as a group that is fully protected from discrimination.
Democrat officials – In Democrat-controlled states, I vow to continue their opposition.
“We will continue to fight against federal actions that threaten to harm our most vulnerable student populations,” said Nick Melboyne, a member of the LA School Board.
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