Rajshekhar Basu Sarkar
eSomethin Staff
The new Trump administration has a plan to abolish the Department of Education. A draft executive order to be signed by President Trump will abolish the Department.
Perrysburg High School English teacher Rachel Davis, President of the Perrysburg Education Association, the local teachers union, said doing away with the Department of Education would cause more harm than good.
Junior Andrew Garst agrees with Davis that we should keep the federal Department of Education.
However, Garst said the department “should spend its money more efficiently. If it hasn’t yielded results on par with the money that is being spent, it should be on review.”
Davis said that in anticipation of the Federal Department of Education being abolished, the state of Ohio should “provide funds for those who have students with disabilities.”
One criticism of the Department of Education is that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion spending is a waste.
Davis on the other hand believes that DEI spending is “not a waste if we are trying to close the gap for access – I don’t think that is wasteful.”
Davis believes that teachers unions have to “stand their ground.”
Something that both Garst and Davis agree is that the federal government may be moving too quickly on budget cuts.
Garst believes that the federal government and its role in education policy could be more efficient by giving “proportionally more money based on states that are economically disadvantaged.”
Garst is supportive of the overall cuts but has concerns about their scope. He said, “I would say maybe it’s too quick – some stuff may be lost – overall… take more time, slow down.”
Davis said, “I think you have to be professional, factual – that is what a union is about. A union is about a group of people that want to make sure everyone is protected, equally and fairly.”
Regardless of which side one falls in, the Department of Education being abolished is a policy that will have significant ramifications and effects.
I believe that like other issues both sides should try to reach a compromise deal on education policy. Maybe the Department of Education should not be abolished – however, there should be an audit to see which money is going where. That’s how we can cut waste in our education budget while also keeping the essential programs such as IDEA grants and Title IX.
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