White house considers abolishing ED

Following the heated presidential election and the inauguration of President Donald Trump, some controversial policy positions have been considered for implementation, including the abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). For better or for worse, the ED is responsible for maintaining and improving the public school system, and its actions have brought both positive and negative impacts to American education.

Many Republican politicians, including Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, argue that the ED has only been used for political purposes, and that control over schools belong to the states. Others believe that the ED has played an important role towards the improvement of education, and that without its aid, more severe consequences would occur. The debate has persisted for years and its abolishment remains in question. Although the ED has its faults, the U.S. public education system will suffer without it, as it has provided valuable support and could prevent educational crises in the future.

Originally, the ED was created as a political payoff by former president Jimmy Carter to the teachers’ unions for their endorsement in 1976. Thus, it can be easily misinterpreted as a political tool, rather than a branch of government dedicated to providing students with the best possible education. However, its role grew dramatically after former president George W. Bush implemented the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. Since then, education provisions have fallen deeply into the hands of the federal government, which has greatly improved certain aspects of education, such as providing financial aid to schools, collecting educational data and identifying areas of improvement.

“The ED creates equality across the board and we would lose federal funding without it, especially in a state like California that is facing several years of economic challenges in debt that could be detrimental to our education system,” English 2 and English 2 Honors teacher Maria McCloud said. “I am not always happy with the choices they make, but I think holding all 50 states accountable for the same types of standards has its benefits.”

Major consequences will occur if the ED is abolished, as its removal would cause all of its programs and government funding to disappear. The elimination of the ED would cause problems for public schools, as they would lose a major source of their budget. To make up for the loss, schools would be forced to cut extracurricular programs and reduce staff size, which ultimately hurts students. In addition to these negatives, states are currently unprepared to be held completely responsible for the education of all schools. The job of the ED would need to be taken on by the states, who would need to increase bureaucracy and raise taxes to compensate. Thus, giving states control over education does not necessarily mean they will be better than the ED.

Fortunately, successful public schools that rely mainly on funding and support from their surrounding communities will not be affected by the abolishment of the ED. The concern lies with schools that will be negatively impacted by a loss of government aid. Principal Mitzi Cress has worked with a variety of schools with different backgrounds such as Jordan High School, Starr King Elementary and Wilmington Park Elementary, schools that are not guaranteed the same resources as Peninsula, yet benefit greatly from the federal government.

“[These schools] have greatly benefitted by the accountability that the ED has mandated,” Cress said. “They are schools in communities where parents are often unable to hold schools accountable because the parents do not have the means or knowledge of knowing what to demand.”

Despite its flaws, the ED has successfully maintained an equal standard in education for all students, no matter their background, and Cress believes that is what is truly most important for schools.

“All children deserve an excellent education and the ED, even with its politics and shortcomings, has made education accessible for all children, making a difference in millions of lives,” Cress said.