The Danger of Eliminating the US Department of Education

By Denise Mackenstadt

A young blind former student of Denise

The creation of the cabinet level U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) was signed into law in 1980 by President Carter. The Department was a result of the breakup of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.  The USDOE was made up of several agencies, including   the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office for Civil Rights, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. All these agencies also include statutory laws which is expected to be part of the Department’s authority by Congress. However, with all these agencies within the Department it is not a very large cabinet Department with 4,400 employees as of 2024, the smallest of the cabinet departments.  

The far right has for many years tried to eliminate the US Department of Education with misinformation.  The purpose of the USDOE is to support local states and municipalities in educating all the individuals they enroll in their schools, rehabilitation programs and many other programs which serve citizens with special needs.  Curriculum and other state responsibility is not controlled by the Federal government.  The US Department of Education has been supported by presidents since its creation by President Carter. President George W. Bush created the No Child Left Behind legislation to add to the responsibilities of the US Department of Education.  Now under President Trump the DOGE is gutting the Department a little bit at a time.  As of a week ago the employees of the Department were given the option of taking a buyout and if they are eligible, to retire or wait to be eliminated.  Most employees have decided to wait and see.  It is important to know that no money for buyouts have been authorized by Congress. So where is this money for a buyout going to come from?  Employees have no guarantee that they will retain their health care or investment benefits. 

The reason I am writing is to let you know how the elimination of the Department of Education will affect the children and disabled adults who live here in Clallam County.  The first benefit of the US Department of Education which comes to the public’s mind is how this elimination would affect students enrolled in special education programs. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 guaranteed a “free and appropriate public education”.  Prior to the passage of these statutes disabled children were not guaranteed a public education. Most disabled children had to be educated in institutions which may be some distance from home or would stay at home without an education.  Not only did these statutes require the public schools to provide an education for these children the US Department of Education disbursed to local states and districts funding to help educate these children. These funds would help with transportation, special support personnel and special equipment or textbooks. 

I taught for 2 decades blind and low vision students who were being educated in their local districts.  Between Port Angeles School District and Sequim School District there were at least 10 students. For rural small town school districts this was a large population. I then consulted on at least 6 more students.  These students required support personnel, braille transcribers, certified teachers of the blind or low vision students, orientation and mobility specialists, braille or large print textbooks and special technology to access their learning materials.  The US Department of Education provides federal money to help with transportation, support personnel and technology. The Federal government provided for textbooks at no cost to the local district.  If the blind and low vision students did not receive a local education the only alternative would be to attend the School for the Blind in Vancouver, Washington. This would not allow them to have the kind of family and local community experience sighted children enjoy. 

In addition, the US Department of Education provides funding for Rehabilitation services for disabled adults and adolescents.  English as a second language programs, and vocational education for adults and adolescents. The department also through its Office for Civil Rights makes certain that all the laws pertinent to these statutes are followed. The primary goal for this office is to provide technical assistance and early resolution not to punish local educational agencies.  

This is just a small list of how the Department of Education serves our citizens here in Clallam County. It is important that we demand of our elected officials that they do whatever they can to save this cabinet Department. As a community we need to let our fellow citizens know what the US Department of Education does for them. The misinformation that the Trump MAGA wants to sell the public is that the states can do the same thing. The reality is they didn’t in the past before the US Department of Education or will in the future if given the opportunity. They can’t.  It is not possible without the resources of the Federal Government. 

I am adding a letter the director of the teacher preparation program for blind and low vision students at Portland State University wrote. Portland State is the only preparation program for the Northwest. As Dr. Parker explains the Rehabilitation Services Administration, which is part of the US Department of Education, funds the training of the teachers who serve the students of Washington State in blindness and low vision.  I am one of those teachers. Dr. Parker states the need articulately. 

Amy T. Parker, EdD & COMS
Associate Professor
Coordinator, Orientation and Mobility Program
Portland State University, College of Education

“The U.S. Department of Education has played a significant role in my life personally and professionally. In 2006, I was selected along with 24 other fellows to pursue doctorates in special education with a focus on meeting the needs of students who are blind, have low vision or are deafblind. A consortium of universities collaborated, each to host its own doctoral scholars, to prepare us to work in higher education and other leadership roles. This grant was one of many that were awarded because Congress recognized there were severe teacher shortages in regular and special education. The teacher shortage was not only impacting schools, it was compounded by the challenge of not having sufficient faculty members to lead teacher preparation programs, particularly in the field of special education (Smith & Montrosse, 2012). The fellowship that I received, like all personnel preparation grant monies, required a service obligation for graduates to work in public education to serve the needs of American schools and universities. For every year of funding received, two years of service had to be documented by the graduate’s employers to fulfill the agreement of the award. 

My family and I moved from Georgia to Texas for my doctoral studies so that I could study with faculty who had deep expertise in how to serve children with low-incidence disabilities. Upon graduation, I have worked at universities to design curriculum, often collaboratively with practicing teachers and family members to create educational videos and resources to prepare future teachers as well as to support teachers who are already working in classrooms every day. Now as an Associate Professor, managing a program at a university, I am writing and receiving personnel preparation grants to support my master’s students financially as they choose to take on the challenge and the calling of teaching students who are blind, have low vision or are deafblind. My students are often already working in the field of special education full time, many are early to mid-career teachers, supporting families while taking on the challenge of graduate school to deepen their expertise and to meet the needs of students whom local educational systems are not well-equipped to serve.  My students who receive these grants are from red and blue states- anywhere in the world where American students are learning- including teachers who serve on U.S.Military bases. 

It is important to understand that the personnel preparation grants that are administered by the U.S. DOE require that 65% of the funds go to support our scholars, covering some or all of their tuition and fees. Only 8% of the grant goes towards the university’s overhead costs. Other components of the grant go to hiring local supervisors to mentor teachers, again supporting local personnel to prepare teachers to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable students and families. The US DOE, staffed by people who have often been in classrooms and have their doctorates, provides technical support as we teach students, tracking and reporting our outcomes, providing us guidance for using research and best practices to maximize our efforts.

Along with all 50 states and U.S. territories, millions of American children are critically dependent on the U.S. Department of Education for support. This support takes shape in the technical assistance, infrastructure, and grant funding to state entities, including universities, who prepare teachers and related services personnel such as speech and language pathologists, physical therapists. sign language interpreters, and orientation and mobility specialists. These personnel provide direct support to students within states, supporting local schools in serving children with disabilities and the families of those students.

It is a false narrative to say that the effort to dismantle and destroy the U.S.DOE is about giving the responsibility of education back to the states. States are already responsible for educating children within their borders. At the federal level, the Department is a conduit for support, information and guidance across a vastly diverse and populated country. Many states do not have the capacity or resources to prepare personnel, especially personnel who serve children with rare disabilities. 

The U.S. DOE was created by law (Section 102, Public Law 96-88), to implement laws (The Rehabilitation Act of 1973; The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1975; The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; the Higher Education Act of 1965; the Educational Sciences Reform Act of 2002), for the good of the American people. There are millions of children and families who will be impacted by the efforts to dissolve the U.S. DOE, and the students do not have the legal right to represent themselves in this ideological attack. The word “equity” which is now viewed as inflammatory is one of our most treasured values that has been enshrined in our laws.  I urge us to recognize the key role that the U.S. DOE provides to all of our educational systems and to uphold the laws that are implemented by this agency. “

Smith, D. D., & Montrosse, B. E. (2012). Special Education Doctoral Programs: A 10-Year Comparison of the Suppliers of Leadership Personnel. Teacher Education and Special Education, 35(2), 101-113. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406412444455