Illinois Teachers Voice Alarm Over Trump Administration's Plan to Abolish Department of Education

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ILLINOIS (WCIA) — A key pledge from former President Donald Trump during his re-election campaign was the dismantling of the Department of Education.

“Reconfiguring the department was a primary campaign promise from President Trump to return control of education to the states and eliminate Washington’s micromanagement,” stated Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

While the department remains open for now, its structure is gradually being deconstructed.

READ MORE: The Education Department is undergoing a transformation. Here’s what it means

Essential functions, such as school funding, nutrition initiatives, student loans, and disability services, are being redistributed to other government departments.

“All they’re doing in Washington is ensuring we’ll have larger class sizes, ensuring we’ll have fewer resources and ensuring we’ll have less support for our students,” Goeke said.

Goeke and the Illinois Educators Association, along with the Illinois Federation for Teachers, say they oppose the dismantling.

They argue that the administration is trading one bureaucracy for another that schools have no experience navigating.

“Public schools and the Department of Ed exist because students with and without disabilities in every state and neighborhood have the right to an education that impacts and imparts academic lessons, life skills, and inspires a lifelong love of learning,” Goeke said.

But while educators are eyeing the move with skepticism, conservatives are celebrating the change.

“Let’s face it, the education industrial complex has been built since the inception of the Department of Education has been. It’s been a massive failure, and it’s failing students. And it’s not just me saying it. The numbers bear it out,” said State Representative Blaine Wilhour with the Illinois Freedom Caucus.

Wilhour and other conservatives pointed to dropping test scores nationwide — particularly in math and reading scores — as a sign the department wasn’t doing its job.

He and Secretary McMahon are hopeful the dismantling will give more control to state and local school boards to help turn scores around.

“We need to be empowering them to make the decisions, the best decisions on behalf of their own kids. And we need a real education, freedom agenda. As long as we’re trapping poor people in schools that are failing, we’re not going to fix education,” Wilhour said.