Trump has called for dismantling the Education Department. Here's what
that would mean
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 [November 20, 2024]
By ANNIE MA
WASHINGTON (AP) — Throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump
heaped scorn on the federal Department of Education, describing it as
being infiltrated by “ radicals, zealots and Marxists.”
He has picked Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive, to lead the
department. But like many conservative politicians before him, Trump has
called for dismantling the department altogether — a cumbersome task
that likely would require action from Congress.
The agency's main role is financial. Annually, it distributes billions
in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student
loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of
those duties to another agency. The Education Department also plays an
important regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those
with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.
Indeed, federal education money is central to Trump's plans for colleges
and schools. Trump has vowed to cut off federal money for schools and
colleges that push "critical race theory, transgender insanity, and
other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content" and to reward
states and schools that end teacher tenure and enact universal school
choice programs.
Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school
budgets — roughly 14%. Colleges and universities are more reliant on it,
through research grants along with federal financial aid that helps
students pay their tuition.
Here is a look at some of the department's key functions, and how Trump
has said he might approach them.
Student loans and financial aid
The Education Department manages approximately $1.5 trillion in student
loan debt for over 40 million borrowers. It also oversees the Pell
Grant, which provides aid to students below a certain income threshold,
and administers the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),
which universities use to allocate financial aid.
The Biden administration has made cancellation of student loans a
signature effort of the department's work. Since Biden’s initial attempt
to cancel student loans was overturned by the Supreme Court, the
administration has forgiven over $175 billion for more than 4.8 million
borrowers through a range of changes to programs it administers, such as
Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
The loan forgiveness efforts have faced Republican pushback, including
litigation from several GOP-led states.
Trump has criticized Biden's efforts to cancel debt as illegal and
unfair, calling it a “total catastrophe” that “taunted young people.”
Trump's plan for student debt is uncertain: He has not put out detailed
plans.
Civil rights enforcement
Through its Office for Civil Rights, the Education Department conducts
investigations and issues guidance on how civil rights laws should be
applied, such as for LGBTQ+ students and students of color. The office
also oversees a large data collection project that tracks disparities in
resources, course access and discipline for students of different racial
and socioeconomic groups.
Trump has suggested a different interpretation of the office's civil
rights role. In his campaign platform, he said he would pursue civil
rights cases to “stop schools from discriminating on the basis of race.”
He has described diversity and equity policies in education as “explicit
unlawful discrimination” and said colleges that use them will pay fines
and have their endowments taxed.
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President-elect Donald Trump listens with Linda McMahon during an
America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate,
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump also has pledged to exclude transgender students from Title IX
protections, which affect school policies on students’ use of
pronouns, bathrooms and locker rooms. Originally passed in 1972,
Title IX was first used as a women’s rights law. This year, Biden’s
administration said the law forbids discrimination based on gender
identity and sexual orientation, but Trump can undo that.
College accreditation
While the Education Department does not directly accredit colleges
and universities, it oversees the system by reviewing all federally
recognized accrediting agencies. Institutions of higher education
must be accredited to gain access to federal money for student
financial aid.
Accreditation came under scrutiny from conservatives in 2022, when
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools questioned
political interference at Florida public colleges and universities.
Trump has said he would fire “radical left accreditors” and take
applications for new accreditors that would uphold standards
including “defending the American tradition” and removing “Marxist”
diversity administrators.
Although the education secretary has the authority to terminate its
relationship with individual accrediting agencies, it is an arduous
process that has rarely been pursued. Under President Barack Obama,
the department took steps to cancel accreditors for a now-defunct
for-profit college chain, but the Trump administration blocked the
move. The group, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges
and Schools, was terminated by the Biden administration in 2022.
Money for schools
Much of the Education Department's money for K-12 schools goes
through large federal programs, such as Title I for low-income
schools and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Those
programs support services for students with disabilities, lower
class sizes with additional teaching positions, and pay for social
workers and other non-teaching roles in schools.
During his campaign, Trump called for shifting those functions to
the states. He has not offered details on how the agency's core
functions of sending federal money to local districts and schools
would be handled.
The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, a sweeping proposal
outlining a far-right vision for the country that overlaps in areas
with Trump's campaign, offers a blueprint. It suggests sending
oversight of programs for kids with disabilities and low-income
children first to the Department of Health and Human Services,
before eventually phasing out the funding and converting it to
no-strings-attached grants to states.
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Associated Press education writer Collin Binkley contributed to this
report.
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