The Trump administration’s decision to gut the Department of Education — a potential prelude to its overall objective for its permanent closure — could have lasting effects on local school districts, including Redlands Unified School District. (Redlands Unified School District/Submitted)
President Donald Trump has dramatically reduced the Department of Education (DoED) function, likely affecting the state’s local school districts. Trump says his ultimate goal is to dismantle the department entirely.
On March 20, Trump signed an executive order that said, “To the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.”
The DoEd cannot be closed by presidential order; it requires congressional approval.
In a DoED statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the reduction in force “reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents and teachers.”
When Trump took office, the DoED workforce stood at 4,133 workers. Today, roughly 2,183 remain, reports the DoED — nearly 600 employees accepted voluntary resignation opportunities and retirement, receiving full pay benefits until June 9th. The DoEd has already placed nearly 50% of the department’s workforce on administrative leave since March 21.
Redlands Community News spoke with Redlands Unified School District’s (RUSD) Communications Manager and Public Information Officer, Christine Stephens, about how the DoED reduction and possible elimination could impact the district.
Potential impact on federal funding, grant programs and regulatory oversight
Stephens stated that DoED’s absence would likely result in a “significant gap in coordinated policy direction” and “could disrupt the continuity of services that districts like RUSD provide to students,” although the district would remain committed to meeting the needs of its schools and students.
“RUSD would explore options to reallocate resources through state and local budgets to continue essential services,” Stephens said; however, doing so could present financial challenges and require careful prioritization, she added.
RUSD’s reliance on federal programs and funding sources at risk
Millions of dollars in funding would be at risk if the DoED were to close. Loss of funding would include: Title I, which focuses on providing financial assistance to schools with a high percentage of children from low-income families; Title II aims to improve the quality of teachers, principals and other school leaders to enhance instruction and student achievement; Title III addresses the needs of English learners and immigrant students, providing resources for language instruction and academic support.
For all Title I, II, and III, the district would lose 1.6% of the funds or $ 5.2 million, said Stephens.
It would also impact the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations, which provide specifically designed instruction for students with disabilities. Due to IDEA, these services are provided by the public school system free of charge, with funding coming from the DoED. If the DoED were to fold, it would be about a $15 million loss to special education services.
Stephens said that the district would reallocate resources through various budgets in those scenarios.
Effects of lost federal guidance and support on RUSD’s ability to serve vulnerable student populations
Students with disabilities, English language learners and other vulnerable populations would be affected without some federal support. RUSD would “explore options to reallocate resources through state and local budgets to continue essential services,” said Stephens, though it could place the district in a restrictive financial state.
What alternative mechanisms or state-level initiatives could RUSD mitigate potential impacts?
A possible path forward would be to redistribute aid through state and local budgets to continue essential services. “RUSD would look to the California Department of Education and the State Legislature for leadership in establishing alternative funding streams, programmatic support and accountability frameworks,” said Stephens.
President Trump has gutted much of the DoED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) division. How might this affect the district’s efforts in its five-year agreement, ensuring compliance with laws related to preventing and addressing sexual harassment, assault and abuse of students?
Stephens contends that regardless of OCR’s state, it remains committed to creating a safe and inclusive educational environment. A weakened OCR division — or its complete absence — could present some challenges.
“A diminished or eliminated OCR would make federal civil rights enforcement more difficult and could reduce accountability for violations of Title IX and discriminatory practices under Uniform Complaint Procedures (a written and signed statement saying that a school has violated federal or state education laws and asking the institution to follow the law.),” said Stephens.
Community News contacted the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District to discuss how the possible DoED closure could impact its operations. Public Information/Communication Specialist Lance Bradley emailed the following statement: “It seems premature to discuss the ramifications of the closure of the Department of Education until Congress actively enters the conversation. We are aware of the reduction in employees at the department as well as the objective to close the department. Currently, around 10% of our budget is supplemented by federal funding. All of our schools are Title I schools, and we use IDEA apportionments to help support special education students, so obviously, there would be an impact districtwide on the students we serve should the department close and if those funding streams are not reallocated. Again, though, we don’t want to speculate on realized impacts until more details are announced and there is Congressional action.
Redlands Community News also sent requests to address the potential result of President Trump’s directive to the Banning Unified School District, Fontana Unified School District and the San Bernardino City Unified School District. All three districts did not respond in time for this report.