Former Education Secretary: Gutting the Department of Education Hurts All Americans

Whether I view it from my perspective as a school teacher, school principal, district leader, State Commissioner of Education, or Secretary of Education for the United States, I see actions to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education to be a horrific mistake. And the Supreme Court’s decision to defer to the President, much like half of Congress did, will have decades worth of negative impact for students in our country.   The Education Department is first and foremost a civil rights agency, protecting access to education for students with disabilities and students who have historically been underserved by our schools in the US. These dismantling efforts will disproportionately harm the very communities that supported the election of this administration most, such as rural communities in the Midwest, and farmland communities that don’t have the same school options that larger districts have for their students. These districts depend on federal funding for basic educational needs and will suffer the greatest impact. And this painful irony mirrors how rushed immigration policies hurt the rural farmers who rely on hardworking undocumented farmworkers, and now treat them like criminals. In times of war, opposing countries seek to destroy the educational, scientific, and technological institutions of their enemies. This weakens their ability to educate, create, and grow. The dismantling of the Department of Education, and the tacit approval by Congress and the courts, is tantamount to us doing our enemies’ work for them. Read More: Public Education Makes Economic Sense The Supreme Court’s decision prevents the Department of Education from meeting its congressionally mandated requirements to distribute funds the way Congress approved them. Currently, The Department of Education has withheld over $6 billion of funding to districts in order to provide additional review of their intended use of the dollars. While this sounds like an extra measure to ensure alignment with the priorities of this administration, it will ultimately stall the distribution of congressionally approved funds—and raises new questions. Without a staff, who will ensure these funds are distributed by the approved deadline?  And will the same delays impact higher education as well?   Universities that openly disagree with the policies of the current administration are being targeted for funding cuts. If this is the current administration’s approach, will districts with voters who did not support the President experience the same targeted funding cuts?   And above all, what happened to giving control back to the states? It seems to me, as someone who once sat in the decision-making seat, that the Federal government is currently exerting an outsized role in the decisions that are being made in the classroom.  When I served as Secretary, I made clear that curriculum decisions belonged to states and local communities, not Washington bureaucrats. Congress is absolving itself of its most important responsibilities to hold the Department of Education accountable to fund, execute, and monitor the programs they approved. By agreeing that the executive branch can cut the department by up to 50%, the Supreme Court essentially affirms that it is ok that they do not have the capacity to execute on the congressional requirements.  As a result, superintendents across the country are trying to figure out which programs to cut. They must balance their budget every year, and cannot program without the promised money and the lack of clarity on whether they will actually receive the money from the federal government. Summer programs, afterschool programs, tutoring support, and special education services are being cut right now because of the Administration’s decision to dismantle the Department of Education. Without a clear budget, school leaders cannot plan to hire the support our students need across the country. This is happening now. Every district will feel the ramifications in September and those with greater need will feel it most because they rely more on the federal dollars and protections. Read More: We Need a Constitutional Amendment to Protect Education Take, for instance, the administration’s efforts to haphazardly reduce the Department’s staff by 50%—as well as the Federal Student Aid (FSA) office. The FSA office currently manages $1.6 trillion in student loans and it is already short-staffed. Systems analysts for the FSA are tasked with ensuring that higher education funds reach students, reducing fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Their oversight prevents funds from being misused and ensures that students receive the benefits Congress intended. On Monday, the Supreme Court greenlit the elimination of their work. Eliminating roles such as these will hurt millions of students who rely on student loans and grants to earn a college degree. And though well-off students may be able to afford higher education without loans, those who are not will pay the biggest price.  And then there are the departments that provide the research and data to ensure best practices are replicated in schools. These leading experts help communicate how best to support students across the country. They fund research that helped solve educational issues and ensure education in this country was cutting edge. Without the support of the research and data collection departments, what chance do we have to improve our education system and our international competitiveness?  Despite all this, I am optimistic about the future of our country. Because I was a teacher first, I know that educators and education leaders signed up to serve children—and our country. We don’t become educators for the money, public respect, or because of some directive from Washington DC. We sign up to help kids.   For this reason, I never bet against American educators, parents, and leaders who are committed to improving our schools and weathering whatever storm comes their way. We did it five years ago in the face of a pandemic, and we will do it again.   This is bigger than politics. This is about what’s right for our kids and what’s best for our country. We share the mission to serve our students the best we can. We take that role seriously and we have no plans to abandon our posts.Former Education Secretary: Gutting the Department of Education Hurts America