Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for the closure of the U.S. Department of Education, fulfilling a campaign promise to dismantle an agency that has long been criticized by conservatives.
The president has denounced the department as ineffective and susceptible to liberal influence, but completing its elimination will likely be impossible without legislation from Congress, which created the department in 1979.
Republicans have announced plans to introduce legislation to achieve that goal, while Democrats have quickly voiced opposition to the effort.
The order emphasizes that the Secretary of Education “will, to the fullest extent practicable and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and the return of educational authority to the states and local communities.”
No specific details were provided about how the process would be carried out or what areas it would focus on, although the White House said the agency would retain some important functions.
Mr Trump said his administration would close the department, limiting it to “essential functions,” while retaining responsibilities for funding schools for low-income families and providing aid to children with disabilities.
Earlier on Thursday, the White House said the department would continue to administer federal student loans, but the order appeared to suggest otherwise. It said the Education Department did not have enough staff to manage its $1.6 trillion (£1.2 trillion) loan portfolio and that it “must return the banking function to an organization capable of serving America’s students.”
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Trump blamed the department for the country's poor performance and expressed confidence that states could do a better job.
“It won't do us any good,” he said.
His administration is already making cuts at the agency, cutting staff in half and making deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which collects data on the nation's academic progress.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon pledged to cut red tape and let states decide what's best for their schools, but she promised to continue providing essential services and work with states and Congress “to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”
The measure was welcomed by groups that have long advocated for the department's demise.
“For decades, he funneled billions of taxpayer dollars into a dysfunctional system that valued leftist ideology over academic success while student achievement stagnated and America fell further and further behind,” said Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts.
Supporters of public schools argue that abolishing the department would leave children in an education system that is fundamentally unequal.
“This is a dark day for millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including children in poor and rural communities whose parents voted for Trump,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson.
Opponents are preparing to sue, including the public interest litigation group Democracy Forward. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the order a “tyrannical power grab” and “one of the most damaging and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken.”
Margaret Spelling, who served as education secretary under Republican President George W. Bush, expressed doubts about whether the department could accomplish its remaining goals and improve the situation in schools.
“Will this distract us from the ability to focus on student achievement, or will people be figuring out how to operate the train?” she asked.
Ms Spelling noted that schools had always been run by local and state authorities and rejected the notion that the Department of Education and the federal government were holding them back.
Much of the agency's work now focuses on financial management – both its vast student loan portfolio and a range of support programs for
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
