President Donald Trump is moving forward with his pledge to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a move that has sparked uncertainty about the future of federal education programs and funding.
Trump has nominated Linda McMahon as secretary of education, charging her with scaling back the department, which oversees federal education policies, promotes student achievement and ensures equal access to education.
“I believe strongly in school choice, but in addition to that, I want the states to run schools, and I want Linda to put herself out of a job,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
For the 2025 fiscal year, the Department of Education has a $103 billion budget. Nearly $69 billion, about 67% of the total, goes to Federal Student Aid, which helps students pay for college or career training.
Joi Spencer, dean of the School of Education at UC Riverside, said eliminating the department would raise significant questions about how financial aid is managed.
“If you don’t have the U.S. Department of Education, then there would be questions about how that financial aid would be taken care of,” Spencer said. “Something like Head Start is a federal program as well, so that could impact young kids.”
Spencer also emphasized the department’s role in gathering and analyzing data on education systems nationwide.
“I think it makes a huge difference for a nation to have a Department of Education where it is able to hire people who are committed, who have deep connections to our education scientists, who can help us understand the most challenging issues related to education,” she said.
Beyond funding and research, the department enforces anti-discrimination policies in schools, a responsibility California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will uphold if the federal General Rob Bonta does not.
“The California Constitution, in addition, provides a separate strong protection, making it clear that transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are a protected class who cannot be discriminated against,” Bonta said Tuesday.
Bonta’s office has also issued legal guidance to parents, students and educators on topics such as inclusive curricula and immigration policy. “In California, all students have the right to an education regardless of their immigration status or the immigration status of anyone in their family,” Bonta said.
By: ABC7