How would Education Department’s end affect Ga., S.C. kids?
AUGUSTA, Ga. - President Donald Trump says he may dissolve the Education Department with an executive order, while some lawmakers in Congress are proposing to do it with a law.
Legal experts have said Trump cannot eliminate a federal agency without approval from Congress. It took a law to create the agency, it will need a law to remove it.
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Under federal law, the agency cannot provide direction, supervision, or control over curriculum, but it collects data and looks for gaps or problems.
Its biggest role is distributing of federal funds for programs like Title I, a federal law that provides funds to schools with high populations of low-income students.
In Georgia
“It’s very concerning that anyone would want to take resources from our public school students,” said Georgia Association of Educators President Lisa Morgan.
Morgan says a federal funding cut of this size would drastically affect low-income students and the teachers who serve them.
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“My students need a healthy nutritious breakfast and lunch each day. We need to be able to offer after-school tutorial to help those students who need little extra help,” she said. “Sometimes we offer Saturday school. All of that comes from Title I funds.”
The order would end some programs and shift some to other agencies.
The potential cuts could affect federal financial aid, oversight of non-discrimination policies in schools and vocational training for teachers.
Trump says he wants state education departments to operate independently, but the Georgia Department of Education said any discussion of effects at this point is hypothetical.
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In South Carolina
Jillian Benfield has a 10-year-old son with Down syndrome, and has advocated for her child’s free and public education for years. She fears that if the Department of Education is dismantled, the attention to vulnerable kids and their needs will be the first to go.
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“The Department of Education was created to protect our children’s rights, so what happens when you dismantle that, nothing good. I can tell you that,” said Benfield.
“This is already difficult on parents, and your child’s rights should not be dependent on where you live,” Benefield said.
Benfield said there’s also concern over inclusive classrooms and school choice.
“What happens when federal oversight is lost?” Benfield said.
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