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Dismantling Education: The Impact of Trump’s Executive Order

  • Mar 30
  • 2 min read



President Trump signed an executive order on March 21st to dismantle the Federal Department of Education, formed in 1979. The effects will not be felt immediately, but the effort to dismantle the agency will eventually be achieved. States and other organizations will bring lawsuits, which could slow things down, but eliminating the department entirely would require an act of Congress. Republicans in Congress are planning legislation to eliminate the agency, but they face heavy opposition from Democrats. AP News (Bianca Vazquez Toness, 3/21/25)


According to the executive order, student loan programs will be taken over by the Small Business Administration, at the same time cutting 43% of jobs (about 2,700 workers). The “FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) stands to suffer, as hundreds of government employees who were dedicated to maintaining the website that helps users navigate the complicated form have been eliminated.” (AP News, M. Anderson, 3/21/25) The USDA (Dept. of Agriculture), which oversees children’s nutrition programs, will cut the $1 billion coronavirus pandemic-era measure that helped schools and food banks to buy local farm-fresh food. AP News (Annie Ma, 3/12/25) Most likely, any future funding will become unavailable, or at least, difficult to secure through federal means.


The Department of Education has been largely responsible for oversight, enforcing discrimination laws, and distributing aid money for schools with low-income students and students with disabilities. These monies will now be given directly to the states.

“Advocates worry that without federal oversight, state leaders could spend the money on anything they want, including vouchers to attend private schools” instead of its intended use for student loans, nutritional assistance, education for students with special needs.


“The Department of Education has long enforced the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees about 7.5 million children with disabilities in the U.S. a free appropriate public education. “The law protects these students from being turned away from public schools and requires schools to provide students with IEPs (Individual Education Programs) to help them thrive academically. Additionally, “the Education Department dispersed federal dollars to states to conduct national research by analyzing state-to-state data and collect and investigate special education-related civil rights complaints.


Congress will ultimately decide whether the Education Department can be completely shuttered, but the Trump administration has already begun to shrink the agency and its functions through workforce reductions as hundreds of staffers at the department were laid off in mid-March.” (USA Today, Katka Jimenez, 3/22/2025)


Call to Action

To ensure that equitable education remains a priority, you can take action in several ways:

📢 Contact Lawmakers: Urge state and federal representatives to protect funding for programs that support low-income students, students of color, and students with disabilities.

📚 Stay Informed & Educate Others: Share factual information about the importance of DEI in education to combat misinformation and misunderstandings.

🗳️ Vote in Local and National Elections: Support candidates and policies that prioritize public education, civil rights protections, and equitable school funding.

🤝 Advocate in Your Community: Attend school board meetings, engage in discussions about education policy, and support local organizations fighting for educational equity.

 

For more in-depth reading, please see:

 

AP News [http://(Bianca%20Vazquez%20Toness,%20](Bianca Vazquez Toness, 3/21/25) https://apnews.com/article/trump-dismantling-education-department-8b5d0961700f0fe69d18ea80b437c8b8

 

 

 

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