On March 20, the President issued the long-awaited Executive Order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. As you recall from last week’s Legislative Update, the Executive Order comes just days after Education Secretary Linda McMahon fired more than 1,300 Department of Education staff in a mass “reduction in force” affecting nearly every office within the department, and after 600 employees had accepted voluntary resignation opportunities.

The Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States and Communities Executive Order states “Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them . . . The Federal education bureaucracy is not working.” 

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon states in a press statement, “Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities."  

She did add, “Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition. “

According to The Hill, President Trump told reporters at the press conference, “The department’s useful functions will be preserved, fully preserved,” referring to Pell Grants, Title I funding, and programs for students with disabilities. “They’re going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments.”

Reaction to the executive order was swift and predictable along party lines. 

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said in a statement, “I agree with President Trump that the Department of Education has failed its mission.  Since the Department can only be shut down with congressional approval, I will support the President’s goals by submitting legislation to accomplish this as soon as possible.”

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said “We should be focused on helping our kids with math and reading—the basics they need to succeed. Absolutely no one is asking for three out-of-touch billionaires to rip apart the Department of Education over some deranged far-right culture war . . . Donald Trump knows perfectly well he can’t abolish the Department of Education without Congress—but he understands that if you fire all the staff and smash it to pieces, you might get a similar, devastating result. In taking a wrecking ball to the Department, Trump is making it harder for students to get help getting financial aid, jeopardizing the funding schools and families count on every day, and making it easier for predatory businesses to rip students off."

AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement responding to the executive order: “See you in court.”

National Education Association President Becky Pringle said,  “We won’t be silent as anti-public education politicians try to steal opportunities from our students, our families, and our communities to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Together with parents and allies, we will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize so that all students have well-resourced schools that allow every student to grow into their full brilliance."    

For the latest advocacy and policy updates, be sure to check out our Legislative Updates blog series, which is featured in our e-newsletters, NSTA Reports, and NSTA Weekly. You can also access the articles directly on the NSTA Blog. 

The mission of NSTA is to transform science education to benefit all through professional learning, partnerships, and advocacy.