WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education will transfer some of its largest grant programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration accelerates its plan. close a department.
This would be a major step forward in dismantling the department, which has primarily involved layoffs, since President Donald Trump called for its abolition by executive order in March.
Six new agreements signed by the Department of Education will effectively shift billions of dollars in grant programs to other institutions. Most notably, it would put some of the largest federal funding streams for K-12 schools in the hands of the Department of Labor, including Title I funding for schools serving low-income communities.
Opponents say such reforms could disrupt some of the nation’s most important state aid programs. Vulnerable student population. Some argue that no other agency has the expertise that schools and families rely on at the Department of Education.
The union representing the department’s employees said students, educators and families depend on the agency’s support for schools.
AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman said, “Its national mission is weakened when its core functions are dispersed among other federal and state agencies that are not equipped or equipped to provide the same support and services as ED personnel.”
Department officials said funding for the program will continue at the level set by Congress. He did not say whether the changes would result in further layoffs in the department. mass layoffs and recruitment of voluntary retirement.
“The Trump Administration is taking bold action to dismantle the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Breaking through the layers of bureaucracy in Washington is a key part of our ultimate mission.”
This measure leaves the Department of Education’s powers intact. $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio and its funding students with disabilitiesBut McMahon suggested both could be better managed by other federal departments. The department’s Office of Civil Rights, which works with students and families who have filed discrimination claims, will also not be affected.
Mr. McMahon and his staff spent months crafting a deal that would allow the department to shed much of its footprint without action from Congress. This is often done through formal agreements between agencies when their duties overlap.
The Department for Education put the idea to the test in June by signing a deal to transfer adult education programs to Labor. The new agreement takes that a step further and lays the foundation for further development.
Under the new plan, Labor would oversee nearly all grant programs currently administered by the Department of Education’s Office for K-12 and Higher Education. In addition, the $18 billion Title I program includes a small pool of funds for teacher training, English language instruction, and TRIO, a program to help low-income students earn college degrees.
It would effectively outsource the department’s largest departments, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Postsecondary Education. The two main roles of the Higher Education Authority will remain with the Department of Education. It oversees student loan policy and accredits universities for their students’ eligibility for federal financial aid.
The department said states and schools are not expected to see any disruption in funding, but federal funding will now come from the Department of Labor.
Under another agreement, the Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for managing foreign medical school accreditation as well as a grant program for parents attending college. The Department of State is responsible for foreign language programs. Mr. Interior will oversee Native American education programs.
In advocating for the department’s abolition, Mr. McMahon has increasingly pointed to what he sees as the department’s failings. For 45 years, she says, student outcomes have continued to lag while the bureaucracy has grown bloated. She points out that the country’s K-12 student performance in math and reading has plummeted in response to pandemic restrictions.
Her vision would abolish the Department of Education and give states broad flexibility in how to spend money currently earmarked for specific purposes, such as literacy and educating homeless students. However, this would require parliamentary approval. This task is complicated by the fact that some of the department’s core operations have long enjoyed bipartisan support.
The new agreement is part of a broader plan to prove that U.S. schools and universities can operate without departments. As part of the plan, McMahon will continue touring the country to highlight the successes of local schools and spend more time pitching lawmakers on Capitol Hill, officials said.
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