What does shutting down the Education Department mean for schools across the US?
Will schools be disrupted if the Education Department is shut down?
- The Trump administration proposed a controversial plan to dismantle the Education Department, aiming to address lagging academic performance by dispersing its functions across other federal agencies.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon maintained that schools would continue to receive federal funding without interruption, suggesting the move would ultimately provide more money and flexibility to schools.
- State officials widely criticized the plan, warning it would increase bureaucracy, create confusion, and complicate their role, with Wisconsin's superintendent noting states were not engaged in the process.
- Critics, including Democrats, some Republicans, and former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, argued the shake-up would harm vulnerable students and create new bureaucratic hurdles rather than solving existing problems.
- Concerns were raised about the capacity of other departments, such as Labour, to absorb large education programmes like Title I, potentially leading to chaos and uncertainty for schools regarding funding and policy guidance.