President Donald Trump’s proposal to dismantle the Department of Education (DoE) is a dangerous move that would be catastrophic for educational equality in America. While supporters of the elimination argue that education should be decentralized to the state and local government, dismantling the DoE would only exacerbate existing disparities, disproportionately harming marginalized communities, public and private schools and students who rely on federal student aid.
The debate over federal involvement in education dates back to the Reconstruction Era when President Andrew Johnson created the first federal education department to provide information and advice to local schools, only for Congress to demote it to a much smaller and less powerful office shortly thereafter.
A century later, President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education, in response to the great inefficiency of many educational-related programs that were scattered among federal agencies that made it hard to create a coherent national strategy. Additionally, in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement and a lot of related education reform, such as Brown V. Board of Education, many minority and urban schools struggled with funding, segregation and resources; the establishment of the DoE helped enforce equality post the Civil Rights Movement.
This resulted in one persisting polarizing question: What role, if any, should the federal government play in education?
A key policy of President Trump’s campaign was the dismantling of the DoE. Recently in the start of his presidency, he has reduced many DEI programs in the DoE, and has placed many of the workers on paid leave encouraging retirement. Although he doesn’t have the power to immediately dismantle the DoE, as recently as Feb. 3 news outlets have reported that the GOP has begun work on legislation to start to move some of their programs to other agencies and reduce the size of the DoE.
The DoE distributes billions in federal funds, enforces educational equity laws, and oversees financial aid programs that make higher education possible for millions of students nationwide, regardless of income, ability, race or location.
In K-12 education, the DoE oversees Title I, distributing over $16 billion in annual supplementary funds to schools with high low-income student enrollment. The DoE allocates another annual $16 billion to protect students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by mandating free and appropriate public education and accommodations. Additionally, the department enforces Title IX to prevent gender discrimination and ensures access to educational resources for English Language Learners (ELL).
Without the DoE, these programs could lose funding or be inconsistently applied across states. Stats have also historically struggled to fund underserved communities, widening the education gap between wealthy and underfunded districts.
Supporters of dismantling the DoE argue that the department is a federal overreach and that local control would allow states to implement policies tailored to their populations. However, this ignores the reality that state and local governments already control 92% of US educational systems and rely on the DoE to fill in the remaining funding gaps. Without oversight to ensure that tax dollars are following and meeting the needs of students with support programs, districts could divert funds however they choose, leaving students vulnerable without critical programs.
“I don’t think that the impact on wealthier suburban districts is going to be nearly as great as the impact on urban and rural districts that rely on a fair amount of that federal money,” Upper School history teacher Mr. Robert Moyer said. “Whether that’s providing food to school supplies, I think that’s going to have a big impact.”
Higher education would take an even bigger hit. The DoE annually administers over $120 billion in federal student aid, including Pell Grants (need-based grants) and subsidized loans.
“As a senior at Germantown Academy, the Department of Education has greatly impacted the way my family and I can afford my undergraduate education,” Utsav Mittal ‘25 said. “Using direct federal loans from the DoE, a small Pell Grant allocation, and taking part in a federal work-study program, the over $10,000 per year has greatly increased the affordability of my ‘dream school’.”
Even independent schools have greatly benefited from the DoE. During the COVID-19 pandemic when Germantown Academy applied for an emergency aid grant, the DoE awarded them one million dollars to purchase crucial virtual school equipment and to keep students and faculty healthy while on campus.
“There are times during emergencies where it’s necessary for the federal government to step in, like, what would happen if there’s another pandemic?” Director of College Counseling Ms. Karen Mason said. “If we don’t have a Department of Education, we might not have this kind of federal oversight to step in and help.”
Whether the DoE should or should not be dismantled, politically, President Trump’s proposal is unlikely to succeed. The Senate would need a supermajority of 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster, which is unlikely to happen with the Republican majority of 53 seats.
Although creating government efficiency is critical, it shouldn’t be done at the cost of jeopardizing the equity and accessibility of education. After all, education is the future of our country.