03/22/2025
My “stupid post” about the dismantling of the DOE (it’s long):
Education in the US has always been controlled by The States. The federal government primarily provides funds to boost programs like Title 1, IDEA, and Pell Grants. The Feds also ensure compliance with civil rights laws, and implement broad policies that The States are then responsible for chiseling out their own definitions for enactment.
This is seen easily in testing: Louisiana students take a LEAP test that has absolutely no equivalency to Texas STAAR, Mississippi MAAP, California CAASPP, Florida FAST, etc etc.
In Louisiana, the BESE Board defines state regulations for education, and how federal programs will be implemented. They meet in Baton Rouge, and are filled with whoever is best aligned with The Governor.
The feds take data in return for funds. All your data. Demographics, what you implemented, how you did it, did students go up or down, what were your costs, blah blah. They “use it to inform future policy”…
By “dismantling the DOE”, low income and disabled people are directly harmed, and no one has to follow civil rights laws. Nothing about education for “regular students” changes at all.
It’s not “giving control back to The States.” They have always had complete control over their own educational objectives and measures.
What is it then?:
If a child is starving at home, they may no longer get a free meal at school.
If a child cannot afford clothing, there may no longer be a program to provide.
If a child is having trouble at home, they may no longer have a councilor to talk to about their fears.
If a child needs a bit of extra help before starting big kid school, there may no longer be a PreK3 program to ease that transition.
If a child requires a bit of extra help in their communication and speech, there may no longer be a provider at the school.
If a child requires constant care, there may not be funding for a one on one aide.
There may not be funding for staff classified as “aides” at all.
If a child has class in a special education room, for any reason, that room may no longer exist.
If a child is exceptionally talented early on in their career, there may no longer be a program to enhance their daily workload (gifted and talented could disappear).
Essentially, the defunding of federal programs “could result”, at an extreme, of all children of all walks of life being placed in to the same rooms. Pass/fail on your own merit, with the same curriculum and expectations for all.
The nonverbal student. The student who’s parents were out all night. The student who can’t comprehend what’s being presented. The student who can’t write their name.
It is a disgrace… and I’m wholly unsure if there is a mechanism to continue funding for these (and more) vital programs with “the dismantling.”
If they “haven’t thought about this”, then shame on them. If they have thought about it, then they have deliberately put an incredible burden on local School Boards to make some very tough budgetary decisions.
Who knows how this will play out?
