CSEA is deeply concerned over how federal cuts to education will affect public schools in New York.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to begin the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. The administration has noted they want to turn the oversight of education services to the states and local school districts.
Soon after the order was signed, the administration laid off more than 1,300 U.S. Department of Education staff. Between these layoffs and earlier retirements and resignations, the department has lost about half of its staff since Trump took office.
The U.S. Department of Education oversees programs tracking student achievement, oversees funding aid for public schools, coordinates federal student loans and other financial aid for college, enforces civil rights laws in schools, ensures services for students with disabilities and living in poverty and coordinates school nutrition programs.
While it would require action by Congress to fully shut down the agency, the executive order has also gutted numerous programs. Particularly hard hit was the department’s Office of Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights in schools. The administration closed numerous Office of Civil Rights regional offices nationwide and severely reduced staffing in others.
While the immediate impact of the cuts on students and educators is unclear, the long-term consequences will depend on how the department is phased out and how essential functions are redistributed.
Before the U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979, multiple agencies oversaw parts of federal education programs, often leading to inefficiency. Increased federal investment in education led to the establishment of a Cabinet-level agency to oversee the function.
Eliminating the department would gut the ability of many students to access higher education, make it tougher for schools to provide vital services and devastate services for students with disabilities or living in poverty.
These cuts would place a further strain on schools across New York, as well as the state and local communities.
More than $5.5 billion in federal aid is provided to New York’s schools, many of which employ CSEA members who provide vital support services that allow children to learn in a clean, safe and efficient environment,
The U.S. Department of Education plays a critical role in allocating federal funding to schools, including those serving high populations of low-income, English language learner students and students with disabilities.
Many schools, particularly ones that CSEA represents in very rural and urban areas, rely heavily on these funds to support their students and staff. Without federal aid, these schools may be forced to diminish or cut vital services for students.
These massive cuts and dismantling of this important department serves one purpose and that is to trim government down in order to pay for the $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Multiple coalitions of educators, school districts and unions, including AFSCME, have filed legal actions against the Trump administration to stop the dismantling of the Education Department and services that working families need. CSEA is closely monitoring the situation.
