— In recent weeks, national news outlets have reported that President Donald Trump and his administration have taken further steps to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a promise he campaigned on.
While the department has various responsibilities — from protecting students’ civil rights to collecting school data — its primary role is managing funding. It administers money allocated by Congress to public K-12 schools, with the largest funding areas being
, which supports students from low-income families, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
program.
Title I and IDEA were created by separate acts of Congress. Closing the department could result in these funding sources facing fewer accountability restrictions, essentially turning them into grants.
Federal funding accounts for 3% of the Detroit Lakes School District’s $41 million budget, with most of that $1.23 million supporting special education and Title I, according to Superintendent Mark Jenson.
The federal Department of Education does not dictate school curriculum. “It is States and communities, as well as public and private organizations of all kinds, that establish schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment and graduation,” according to the department’s
.
How would dismantling the Department of Education affect K-12 students in the community who benefit from Title I and IDEA?
Title I funding helps districts support students from low-income families, particularly those struggling to meet academic standards. It is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
, a federal law requiring states to track curriculum performance and provide transparent, accessible data through platforms such as the
Roosevelt Elementary and Detroit Lakes Middle School are the two schools in the district that qualify for Title I funding because they meet the threshold of low-income families. The funding pays for teachers who provide additional academic support and interventions in reading and math for struggling students.
Each spring, Minnesota schools that receive federal funding administer the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, which measure student progress toward state academic standards to fulfill ESEA requirements. Jenson said that performance on the exams “justifies” those federal dollars.
“We spend (Title I money) on teachers that are not in the classroom, so to speak,” Jenson said. “So those teachers get kids who are referred, who are in need of help in either reading or math, and they work with those kids individually so they get extra time.”
If the federal Department of Education were dismantled, Jenson said the district would continue operating the program or something similar, depending on available funding.
“We’ve actually got a reduction in that because we have fewer qualifying families,” he said. “So we have less money there.”
The future of Title I funding remains uncertain, as a complete phase-out would require an act of Congress.
Special Education and IDEA
About 12% of federal funding for students with disabilities comes through IDEA. In the district, Jenson said these funds help cover salaries for special education teachers and paraprofessionals, as well as transportation and other costs associated with providing services to students with disabilities.
While federal funding for special education has historically fallen short, Jenson noted that recent Minnesota legislation has increased the state’s contribution, easing some of the burden.
“It’s not fully funded, but if it was left in our hands, obviously we would continue programming as is,” he said. “We feel pretty good about how we program for special education.”
Although Jenson is confident the district could maintain its special education programs even without federal funding, he expressed concerns about oversight.
“My concern would be oversight,” he said. “And I’m not worried about our district, but I would be worried about who is watching how that money is being spent.”
With how ambiguous a lot of these decisions in Washington are, Jenson encourages families in the district to stay calm.
“I think the biggest thing is for people not to worry. I mean, this has very little impact locally,” Jenson said.
Abby Fostveit is a reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune with a focus on covering Detroit Lakes Public Schools. Before moving to the area, Fostveit graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in environmental studies from Butler University in Indianapolis in May 2024, where she also competed on the cross country and track and field teams as a middle-distance runner.