Technolandy

Day x (of Spring Break 2025) Project 2025 Page 342… RIP US Department of Education

Project 2025 Page 342… 

In Canada, “Education” was determined to be a ‘provincial’ matter (along with Health, and unlike  in the break up of federal/provincial powers from day one-ish). In the United States, The Department of Education was founded to help students with diverse abilities funding, as well as funding for career tech pathways… English proficiencies… rural learners… <— all funding focused decisions. Not curriculum, states, like provinces, set the core curriculum for teachers and students.  So when it is said “we are returning it to the states” – what is the focus? the funding was allocated to help support 

Saying Texas runs its education well though? As good as ‘the Nordic schools’? Texas ranked 20th in last summers ‘rankings’ (I don’t like how most ‘rankings’ occur, but if the prez wants to make comparisons… ) https://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/ranking-texas-school-system-wallethub/

Best states for education include: (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin) hmmm all ‘blue states’ 

(Worst: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, Alaska and Louisiana) 3 red, two ‘blue battleground’ states… 

Without digging too deep, I looked at the district a my brother in law works in and federal funding was about 10% of the district budget.. but that doesn’t include some of the specific grants… and while the claim is that Pell Grants, Title I funding and resources and funding for children with disabilities would be “preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments.” No plan was shared to identify the ‘other agencies and departments’ that would/will continue the support… 

But… what has the DE been responsible for:

Managing the 1.6 trillion dollar student loan portfolio for college students. 

$15 billion for Title 1 schools (schools with low income families)

$15 billion for the IDEA (Individual switch Disability’s Education Act) 

Enforcing laws for used on discrimination.

Collects data and statistics as well as researching monitoring student outcomes. States till set curriculum and fund the bulk of K-12 education – federal funds have always been to ‘help out’…  with some reporting rules for specific funds (IDEA…).  

It is still up to Congress whether or not the Department is officially closed, but with (so far) half of the workforce being dismissed, there are a lot of checks, cheques, and balances not being done… and from our own provinces history, untargeted money does not tend to get redirected back to what it was once meant to go for… one example – there used to be specific $ for ‘gifted’ students – but it was rolled into the per pupil funding so districts could have ‘more flexibility’ – which meant pretty much everywhere, ‘identified students’ in many categories no longer had funding to provide them supports/resources that had a cost to them… if $ just gets sent to states… there is nothing holding them to funnelling the money to where they previously went… 

Instead, as one of the suspected goals has been… there is going to be more of a push to allow money to go directly to private schools… and the unspoken part: schools that do not have to accept everyone… segregation is normalized here and it starts with the dog whistle of ‘voucher programs’.  Just because title 1 funding for poor students may next allow them tot take that money to private schools, it doesn’t mean that the schools will accept them… or keep them after the funding has arrived (dark part of our provinces past: historically there have been many secondary students ‘suspended forever’ and not allowed to return after October 1st – when funding was ‘locked in for the year’)… less often now, I’m sure!

Private schools don’t have to provide IEPs and also are exempt from US Civil Rights laws (discrimation based on race, gender or disability) but the good football players will definitely have a locker saved for them…  so just be aware when some of these ‘ideas’ reach the headlines. 

Glad that in Canada, the federal government has been taking action to help try to stop me from pointing out that Canada remains the G7 nation without a unified food program for students by providing $ ~ and many provinces also tossing money at the issue… still some problems with our schools not having a cafeteria infrastructure, but… at least we are acknowledging teachers having granola bars and juice boxes is not ‘good enough’… hmm, a lot of US cafeterias are supported by federal funds…  I think that it is primarily via the US Department of Agriculture…  Page 252 of Project 2025…

The Department of Education was founded because not all states treated students equally. Some wouldn’t fund poor schools (equity/equality always an issue when school costs are examined); wouldn’t protect kids with diverse abilities; wouldn’t follow civil rights laws (go down the segregation schools rabbit hole!); and helped make resources more available to all… 

Expectations? 

Reduced services and resources

Class size changes (10% of a budget is offset by teachers <— people always make up about 93% of a school district budget)

Underfunded regions… may need to relook at their tax setup county by county… 

I’ll admit that I’m a tad nervous for the programs my US nieces and nephews may see disappear from their schools and districts… hope I’m wrong!

PS less than 24 hours, and a lot of blowback later eg: https://apple.news/ATMIU01TqTpiLNlPJKgD3tw

there’s been the usual presidential “did I do that…. “ https://apple.news/AKiyUjXmQSsaiIHjuG2GC1Q “Another Slapdown for Trump as Education Dept. Is Saved”