On March 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education effectively shut down, laying off over 50% of its workforce in what President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon call the “first step” toward eliminating the agency altogether.
They say it’s about “putting power back in the hands of parents and local communities.” But the real question is: what happens when the federal government stops playing a role in protecting equal access to education?
The Facts: What Happened
• 1,315 federal employees laid off and another 600 took buyouts, cutting the department nearly in half.
• Six regional offices closed, leaving only the Washington D.C. headquarters operational.
• Many remaining staffers say they are “working blind,” with no clear plan for managing federal student aid, special education oversight, or civil rights enforcement.
Trump and McMahon’s Case for the Shutdown
In a press conference Tuesday, President Trump praised the layoffs as “a big win for freedom” and claimed the Department of Education had been “wasting taxpayer money for decades.”
When asked on Fox News about the potential impact on Title I funding, which provides crucial aid to schools in low-income communities, Linda McMahon appeared caught off guard:
“I’m not familiar with that specific funding stream,” she said. “But we believe local schools know what’s best.”
Similarly, when pressed about IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funding, McMahon pivoted to general comments about “empowering parents” rather than answering directly.
“We’re cutting the waste,” she insisted.
But for many educators, “waste” isn’t the word they’d use to describe these programs.
What Is the DOE’s Role—and Why It Matters
The Department of Education was created in 1980 not to run schools but to:
• Ensure equal access to education, including enforcing civil rights laws.
• Manage $80 billion in federal education funding, such as Title I and IDEA.
• Protect students, particularly marginalized and special needs communities, who are often underserved by state and local governments.
And despite the rhetoric about “bloated bureaucracy,” the DOE’s budget accounts for only about 6% of total federal spending on education. The 2024 federal budget allocated $79 billion to the DOE—compared to over $850 billion on the military. Yet critics frame the DOE as the poster child for “government waste.”
What Happens Without the DOE?
Teachers and administrators in low-income districts are already feeling the fallout. Without clear guidance or funding continuity, schools in poorer areas are cutting programs.
At a recent community meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, third-grade teacher Michelle Vargas shared:
“I voted for Trump because I believed in his promises about getting back to basics. Now my classroom doesn’t have the basics. We lost two aides this week. Our reading intervention program is gone. I feel betrayed.”
In Mississippi, an administrator told AP News off the record:
“We’re back to where we were in the 1950s. The states with the least resources are just left behind.”
Setting the Record Straight on Fraud and Abuse
Claims of widespread fraud within DOE programs have been grossly exaggerated.
• According to the Office of Inspector General’s 2024 report, less than 0.5% of federal education funds were lost to fraud—far lower than other government programs.
• And while critics argue the DOE forces one-size-fits-all policies on schools, many federal requirements exist specifically to ensure civil rights and equity—so that rural, urban, and underfunded schools don’t get left behind.
The recent move by the Trump administration to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has been justified by citing stagnant or declining student test scores. However, attributing these educational challenges solely to the DOE’s existence is a straw-man argument that oversimplifies the complexities of educational outcomes. In reality, factors such as budget allocations, socioeconomic disparities, and resource availability play more significant roles in influencing student performance.
The Misplaced Blame on the DOE
Critics argue that the DOE’s policies have failed to improve test scores, using this as a rationale for its elimination. For instance, President Trump has expressed a desire to eliminate the Department of Education, claiming it has been overtaken by “radicals, zealots, and Marxists” and wastes taxpayer money by involving the federal government in local education decisions.
However, this perspective overlooks the broader context in which educational outcomes are shaped. The DOE’s role includes ensuring equal access to education, enforcing federal laws related to civil rights, and administering federal funding to support schools, particularly those in underserved areas. Eliminating the department could exacerbate existing inequalities without addressing the root causes of stagnant test scores.
The Impact of Budget Cuts on Student Performance
Research indicates that budget cuts and resource limitations have a direct correlation with student achievement:
• School Resources: Inadequate funding often leads to larger class sizes, reduced access to instructional materials, and diminished extracurricular opportunities, all of which can negatively impact student learning.
• Teacher Staffing: Budget constraints can result in hiring freezes or layoffs, increasing student-to-teacher ratios and limiting individualized instruction.
For example, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) emphasized standardized testing but did not account for the disparities in resources among schools. This led to situations where schools in affluent areas could better prepare students, while underfunded schools struggled, widening the achievement gap.
The Role of Socioeconomic Factors
Socioeconomic status (SES) is a significant determinant of educational outcomes:
• Access to Resources: Students from higher SES backgrounds often have access to additional educational resources, such as tutoring and extracurricular activities, that can enhance learning.
• Parental Involvement: Higher SES is often associated with greater parental involvement in education, which positively influences student achievement.
Blaming the DOE for test scores without considering these factors ignores the complex interplay between a student’s environment and their academic performance.
Misconceptions About DOE Spending
There is a common misconception that the DOE consumes a disproportionate share of federal funds, leading to calls for its reduction or elimination. In reality, the DOE’s budget represents a small fraction of federal spending:
• Budget Allocation: The DOE’s budget accounts for only about 6% of total federal spending on education. The 2024 federal budget allocated $79 billion to the DOE—compared to over $850 billion on the military.
Therefore, claims that the DOE is a significant drain on federal resources are unfounded.
The Finland Example: What We Turned Down
In the documentary The Finland Phenomenon, Finnish education experts explain why their country is a global leader in education:
• Teachers are treated like doctors and lawyers, requiring a master’s degree and years of training.
• Finland pays its teachers well, prioritizes small class sizes, and trusts educators with autonomy—without standardized testing pressures.
The filmmakers recount how, years ago, Finnish educators offered to collaborate with U.S. officials to help reform American education. They were politely declined, reportedly told,
“We do things differently here.”
The irony? Finland spends less per student than the U.S. but consistently ranks in the top 5 globally in reading, math, and science—while U.S. students have slipped in international rankings, largely due to inequities between rich and poor districts.
What Is Trump’s Endgame?
President Trump has long campaigned on abolishing the Department of Education, arguing that education is a states’ rights issue.
“We’re giving power back to the parents,” he said at a rally last week. “No more Washington bureaucrats telling you how to educate your kids.”
But critics argue this will lead to:
• Widening inequality, as states with fewer resources struggle to support their schools.
• Reduced oversight, leaving students with disabilities and marginalized communities unprotected.
• Privatization, as the void left by the DOE invites for-profit charter schools and voucher programs to step in.
Possible Alternatives
If the goal is education reform, critics say there are better ways to do it:
• Invest in teacher training and support, rather than cutting funds.
• Reduce standardized testing pressures, freeing schools to focus on quality instruction.
• Adopt best practices from top-performing countries, including equity-focused funding models.
Conclusion: Who Pays the Price?
For now, it’s the students, teachers, and families in under-resourced communities who are feeling the pain. And as the Department of Education’s future remains uncertain, the question we should all be asking is:
What’s the real cost of dismantling a system designed to ensure equal opportunity?
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