An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 20 called for dismantling the Education Department; the agency had been a target of his for several years.
Trump’s order called for the education secretary to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the states and local communities.”
Although the order was vague regarding implementation, the administration enacted sweeping changes. The Office of Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, both organizations within the department that gather data on the nation’s academic progress, have seen severe funding cuts. Already nationwide, the department has seen its workforce cut in half.
This proposed closure would only allow the department’s “core necessities” to remain: funding low-income schools, providing financial aid, and helping children with disabilities.
The department, created by Congress in 1979, oversees and funds education programs. Promoting education equity for all students has been its key focus. The Trump administration disagrees. “It’s doing us no good,” Trump said. Earlier, he characterized the Education Department as full of “radicals [and] zealots.”
While signing the order, Trump blamed the Education Department for America’s plummeting test scores, asserting that states would do a better job.
His actions, however, do not come without pushback. The Washington State Superintendent of Instruction, Chris Reykdal, released a fiery statement in response to Trump’s order.
“The president is trampling all over the Constitution… [Trump wants] to dismantle public education… That’s what they want to do. They want the system privatized.”
Some students at Skyline share a similar view. One Skyline freshman recalled a walkout that started hours after Trump signed the order.
“It happened suddenly at lunch. A student started talking about the Education Department being closed by Trump, and the entire commons went quiet. I don’t believe many joined their walkout, though.”
Personally, the freshman was opposed to the cuts in the Education Department. “I don’t think it’s good. So many people are losing their jobs, and we students are losing funding.”
For more information:
Trump orders a plan to dismantle the Education Department while keeping some core functions
Executive Order: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities
What does the Department of Education do?
Layoffs, cuts, chaos: The Education Department in Trump’s first 90 days
