Last Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE), according to the White House.
Trump’s plan to close the DOE fulfills a campaign promise from his presidential run.
Founded in 1979 during President Jimmy Carter’s administration, the DOE generally aims to provide equal opportunity to those in education through federal funding and assistance, according to the DOE website.
The White House website states that with the DOE being eliminated, power over education will be left to “Families instead of Bureaucracies.”
In a speech given in Indiana County, Pennsylvania last September, Trump suggested this move could be the first of other administrative changes.
“I’m gonna close the Department of Education and move education back to the states, and we’re gonna do it fast,” Trump said.
Trump directed U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education,” according to K-12 Dive.
However, to fully shut down the department, Congress would need a majority vote to approve the shutdown.
As of now, the Trump administration has not made many clear plans on what exactly will take place once the DOE is shut down.
This has not stopped the administration from taking the necessary steps to dismantle the DOE.
A major step was taken a few weeks before Trump’s executive order. The DOE was cut nearly in half on March 11, with employees being placed on administrative leave, which began last Friday, according to the DOE’s website.
The DOE’s official website reported, “When President Trump was inaugurated, the Department’s workforce stood at 4,133 workers. After today’s actions, the Department’s workforce will total roughly 2,183 workers.”
An area of concern for Trump’s executive order is the impact that it may have on low-income schools, students with disabilities and rural schools with limited enrollment, according to NPR.
With the DOE already facing diminishment, the future of the education system under Trump’s term remains vague.
The DOE has promised “formula funding” for impoverished schools along with Pell grants and student loans.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
