By Caroline Pychynski
President Donald Trump vowed to eliminate the Department of Education (DOE) in a signature campaign promise made during his run for the presidency. This echoes rhetoric during his first presidency, when he proposed slashing billions from the department's budget. By dismantling the DOE, Trump hopes to grant greater autonomy to the individual state governments on the issue of education. Critics fear that his plan will cause more harm than good.
The DOE was established by former President Jimmy Carter in 1980 to promote equal access to education through programs such as Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which supports funding schools that serve low-income communities.
Today, the Department’s budget totals over $238 million. Much of this funding is allocated to supporting children with disabilities, Pell Grants, and other financial assistance programs for more than 12 million postsecondary students. According to the Washington Post, the DOE helps fund about 18,200 school districts whose total enrollment exceeds 50 million students. These services impact students across the nation, especially those with low household incomes.
One immediate concern that comes with eliminating the DOE is the barrier it could pose to students seeking higher education. Many rely on the Department’s federal student aid. Axing it without creating a meaningful replacement can make personal wealth a necessity for those who wish to access education and achieve success.
According to ABC News, “Trump’s agenda for higher education includes creating a new, free university called the ‘American Academy’ and funding it by ‘taxing, fining and suing’ private universities.” Trump also plans to change the education system by permitting prayers in public schools and granting parents a greater say on what students are taught. His ideal changes would also include cutting out “critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.”
Some members of the Adelphi community have found this agenda to be controversial. First-year nursing major Serena Ashton believes that the removal of the DOE is a step in the wrong direction.
“If this takes place, the level of ignorance and arrogance will soar in our nation [more than] it already has,” she said. “As a teenager, I believe in the power of education and the power of knowing. Without education, what would this mean for future jobs? Future careers?”
Lauren Rosenblum, director of Interdisciplinary Studies at Adelphi, said, “As a college professor, my concern is that eliminating the Department of Education will increase inequalities and thereby reduce educational excellence of US students overall. For Adelphi students, that means that students will arrive at Adelphi with large educational deficits that are hard to make up at the college level.”
“I believe that this imposes an educational cultural war,” said first-year business major Hazel Agicha. “Reforming education does not mean taking away identities. The US has always been a mixing pot of cultures and a place where new ideologies are fostered. Imposing one’s identity robs students of diversity.”
Another concern that comes with eliminating the DOE is the loss of an executive department in the federal government that works to solve ongoing problems in our education system.
Supporters of eliminating the DOE argue that education should be left to the states, as they know what is best needed for their students. They believe that decentralizing education could foster adaptability by giving teachers and schools more control over education and supporting federalism. Additionally, supporters of the president-elect’s agenda believe that it will save taxpayers a significant amount of money because about 8% of public education funding impacts K-12 education.
Critics of this idea believe that removing the DOE could lead to educational disparities and take away programs needed for low-income schools. What will actually happen remains to be seen.
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