SCOTT: School officials watching how the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education will affect Scott County
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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.
“Schools only get about eight to 10 percent of their funding from the federal government,” Jeff Abell, incoming superintendent of the Winchester School District, said.“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 Scott 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.”
Senator Jil Tracy, who also represents Scott 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.”
