President Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove the Department of Education, a long-awaited action that will impact how billions of dollars in California’s federal funds are distributed to millions of students, educators and institutions.
“We will close it and close it as soon as possible,” Trump said at a White House event. “It’s not good for us. We want to return students to the United States.”
Trump promises that important programs – Pell grants for low-income college students, and Title I funding for students from disadvantaged families – will continue to remain uninterrupted under the management of other institutions.
The demolition of the department has been going on informally for weeks but requires Congress to approve a complete closure.
However, Trump’s impact on education has become very large in California. The administration has pulled federal funding from entities that do not fit its agenda, notably Trump’s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs or DEIs, and his efforts to evacuate trans students as a protected group under anti-discrimination laws.
The government has canceled a $148 million teacher training grant for California, aiming to address acute teacher shortages and promote a diverse teaching workforce. The court has now been cancelled.
In addition, this month’s cuts in education department staff affected the agency’s ability to perform routine but important tasks, including tasks prescribed by Congress, such as grants and loan programs for students.
Recent cuts have in particular been deepened in the research and investigations of the Office of Civil Rights. Nevertheless, the Civil Rights Office has launched major investigations and enforcement actions against the university and the K-12 area, which is accused of not taking action to prevent anti-Semitism or allow transgender students to participate in women’s sports.
Here are the key points to understand the future of the Trump-led department:
Trump said the closure would return education to states. But it’s already there.
Trump’s orders and repeated public statements focus on what the president calls “dreams” of “returning education to states.”
States have controlled most aspects of education – more control has been made in recent years.
“States can and will still push education, and the local community will have a lot to say,” said Pedro Noguera, dean of the University of Southern California Rosill School of Education. “The missing is federal leadership.”
In some periods, the federal government adopted more control: the National Guard, for example, forced Southern schools to allow black students to attend the same campus with white students.
Another period began in 2001, with no children remaining – bipartisan efforts joined President George W. Bush with Senator Ted Kennedy. The school has received a 2014 deadline that will raise each student to academic level or face punishment. This effort failed.
President Obama takes advantage of policies by hanging huge grants (when schools try to recover from recession funding cuts), including using test scores to assess teachers. The effort disappeared when the Obama administration ended.
There is nothing in the current law that can prevent states from establishing curriculum, learning standards and accountability measures.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order that celebrates Trump’s actions and acknowledges the inherent contradictions in comments issued by the White House.
“The abolition of the department will usher in a new era of American educational excellence,” DeSantis said. “States have implemented courses and operated their education programs.” DeSantis’s view is that cutting the “Traditional Tape Festival” will enable states to complete faster.
However, DeSantis believes it is a strangulation regulation, and California Councilman Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates) believes supervision is necessary.
“It’s not just about federal funding,” said Muratsuchi, chairman of the Chairman’s Education Committee. “It’s a question about the federal government’s responsibility to investigate and enforce federal laws that we have been fighting for decades to ensure equal education opportunities.”
Sonja Shaw, a Trump supporter and chairman of the Chino Valley Unified School Board, said simply delaying the country may be insufficient. Before Trump was elected, her district adopted policies that align with Trump’s policies—some of which state officials blocked through litigation and legislation.
“California is currently taking school district holders hostages, forcing them to comply with radical policies that undermine parental rights and undermine public education,” Shaw said. “If Trump’s plan includes bypassing corrupt state governments and empowering local communities, it would be a game-changer.”
President Trump has no right to shut down the Education Department, but so far, that doesn’t matter.
Although Education Secretary Linda McMahon acknowledged that Congress must step in at some point in order to make the closure fully effective, the issue may appear in the courts.
At the same time, however, she is working to end her abilities as much as possible – critics say her performance is beyond the scope of law. This is where the lawsuit and the court has entered the picture.
Congress can intervene by giving Trump authority or taking strong actions to clarify his lack of authority.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-la.) said Thursday that he “will support the president’s goal by submitting legislation to achieve this as soon as possible.”
Democratic lawmakers vowed to fight back.
If the education sector ends, many people think that the program is crucial will lose money.
Cuts have weakened the department’s ability to fund, evaluate and disseminate research.
“One of the first casualties of decentralization is the collection of educational data, as many policymakers may resist transparency in assessing the effectiveness of their policies,” said Gabriel Buelna, an elected trustee of Los Angeles Community College. “Without reliable data, it is easier to ignore systemic failures, resulting in policies supporting elite interests rather than public education investments.”
Linda Darling-Hammond, chair of the California Board of Education, said that despite Trump’s pledge to fulfill a commitment set by Congress on Thursday, logistics staff that do so could become a problem because of the reduction in staff and the dispersion of the department.
“We have cut a large number of staff in the department. Can it be in its functions? Cutting down staff may affect the ability of programs, including programs and students who receive federal loans,” Darling Hammond said.
“If the procedures are spread, their management will be reduced and the impact on the region and state will be that they have to report multiple different plans to multiple departments,” she added.
The prospect of punitive cuts can create huge imminent imminent if California and its educational institutions refuse to comply with policy stances that restrict LGBTQ+ rights and DEI programs.
But Orange County parents and former school board member Madison miners believe there is nothing but Trump’s executive order.
“The bureaucracy is too long, which disappoints our children and pushes the political agenda rather than focusing on real education,” said the miner, who chairs the Orange mom chapter for freedom. “Parents, teachers and local communities – not Washington bureaucrats – know the best for our children.”
California educational institutions are colliding with the Trump administration.
California leaders and educational institutions have largely established policies that oppose Trump or have long been contrary to his agenda.
California Democratic leaders are particularly with the Trump administration’s assistance in the state for immigrants who live in the United States and the designation of LGBTQ+ individuals as a measure to adequately protect against discrimination.
Democratic officials (the country dominated by Democrats) vowed to continue to object.
“We will continue to fight any federal action that could potentially damage our most vulnerable student population,” said Nick Melvoin, a member of the Los Angeles School Board.
