PIKE: Local school officials leery of abolishment of the Department of Education
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By BETH ZUMWALT
President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order last week to begin the process of eliminating the Department of Education at the federal level. Those opposed to the move, say Trump does not have the authority to shut down the agency, only Congress does. A court battle is most likely coming.
The federal government only provides a fraction of the money that goes to schools—states and local governments are responsible for the lion’s share of that funding. But the federal government plays an outsize role in helping high-needs schools get the money they need to stay afloat.
“We only get about eight to 10 percent of our funding from the federal government,” Jeff Abell, superintendent of the Griggsville-Perry School District. “That seems like a little, but it is a lot in this economy.”
The eight to 10 percent includes school lunches, funding resources for children with disabilities and /or special needs.Congress established Title I to provide money to K-12 schools in low-income communities. It also assists adults in earning high school diplomas and attending vocational schools, provides thousands of federal student aid dollars for those pursuing college and post-secondary education, teacher continuing education programs, drug and violence prevention programs, etc.
In the current fiscal year, the Department of Education set aside more than $18.38 billion for Title I. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. school districts benefit from the program, which has historically enjoyed bipartisan support among lawmakers. Federal grants pay for salaries, supplies, technology, tutoring programs and a range of basic services that low-income schools may not otherwise be able to afford.
Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer, who represents Pike County in Springfield, says he does not expect any savings by abolishing the U.S. Department of Education to be passed on to the citizens nor does he expect state taxes to rise because of the programs being passed on to the states.
“It is my understanding, the functions of the Department of Education are being passed on to other agencies,” Davidsmeyer said. “I think student loans are going to the Small Business Administration, some of the special ed programs will be handled by the Department of Human Services. The money will be forthcoming, most of the programs will be through other agencies.”
Todd Fox, superintendent at Pikeland Unit 10 says he is watching the situation.
“Am I concerned? Yes. Am I worried? No. Not yet. We will need to wait until the dust settles to see the impact, if any, this will have on our budgets, the services we provide, and most importantly, our students,” Fox said. “We are not going to overreact. We are not going to start cutting services and begin releasing employees funded with federal funds. All that will do…is allow other school districts to hire our great people. If we need to dip into our reserve funds…then that is what we will do. We will wait to see how this all plays out. Less government is always good for schools when it comes to unfunded mandates and oversight.
Darin Powell, superintendent at Western Schools, said he didn’t feel confident about speaking on the matter, but, referred to an article on NPR, that said the administration has promised that formula funding for schools, which is protected by law, would be preserved. That includes flagship programs like Title I for high-poverty schools, and the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), which sends money to rural and low-income schools.”
Another source says closing the Department of Education does not mean curling off funds from those who depend on them, but, is only to eliminate bureaucracy.
“But nearly all the statisticians and data experts who work in the office responsible for determining whether schools qualify for that money will soon be out of jobs, making it unclear how such grants would remain intact,” Powell’s, NPR document reads.
Senator Jil Tracy, who also represents Pike County said the issue is being blown out of proportion.
“We had education before we had the Department of Education,” Tracy said. “ If you watch the news you will see that many of the president’s proposals are all doom and gloom. But, he has good advisors and appointed a respected person to head that field. They have a plan. It is all so new and moving so quickly.”
She said the state’s main responsibility is the welfare of the citizens, including education and infrastructure.
“I’m not concerned,” she said. “We will take care of education. The schools are under so much stress already with the mandates and children who speak different languages. There are 11 different languages in Beardstown that require a lot of resources. Our upmost priority is education.”
