Donald Trump has been very open with his attacks on public education, and he has made no secret about his goal to abolish the Department of Education.
To accomplish his goal, he is counting on you, and parents across the country, to be uninformed about the impact this will have on your day-to-day life.
Despite what Trump says, states and local districts are already in charge of their schools; what Trump is not saying is that Education Department funding helps states ensure all their kids have access to an education.
Funding from the Department of Education helps state and local districts fund every school.
Without it, state and local districts will have to make up the costs covered by the federal government.
Dismantling the Education Department will be a funding cut for every student:
- 26 million kids across every school district—rural, suburban and urban—will lose access to critical funding to help them get ahead.
- 12 million students will lose access to career and technical education, including pathways to well-paying jobs through apprenticeship programs in trades or STEM careers.
- 10 million students from lower-income families could lose access to two- and four-year colleges due to cost.
- 7.5 million students with Individualized Education Plans—accounting for 15 percent of all students nationally—will lose access to special education services funding.