The Trump administration announced Tuesday certain Education Department programs, and billions of dollars used to fund them, would be shuffled to other government agencies, in a move that experts say is an unnerving escalation of a war on public education.
“The Trump Administration is taking bold action to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
“Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission … Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools — ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system.”
The Department of Education’s website lists six new agreements with other federal government agencies that will begin administering functions that include workforce development programs, international students and funding for low-income schools.
McMahon framed the six agreements with the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of State as a win for students and families who rely on federal education programs. Experts, however, warn the changes will likely be anything but.
