Local educators weigh in on Department of Education uncertainty

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The future of the U.S. Department of Education is up in the air as President Trump is considering dismantling the department.

“Funding is going to be a huge issue,” said Evansville Teachers Association President Lori Young.

Local educators are now speaking out, saying if the education department goes away, it could lead to major challenges for schools.

“For students, they’re not going to be able to have as many programs as they currently already have,” Young said.

Young says the Department of Education provides crucial funding for special education and Title I programs. Those help with resources for low income students and other education programs.

“We are about 75%, maybe a little higher, free and reduced lunch,” said Jared Revlett, the director of public information with Owensboro Public Schools. “We receive quite a bit of federal funding through Title I funds.”

Revlett says they received roughly $1.5 million from the Department of Education last year. He says it would be a major blow to lose out on that.

“If they were to take away that title funding, that special education funding, our most vulnerable populations will be the ones that are at risk,” Revlett said.

President Trump has said he wants to give power back to the states when talking about abolishing the education department.

“The thing I think a lot of people need to realize is the states have that control already,” Young said.

Specifically, Young says states already have control over curriculum, hiring teachers, standardized tests, polices and more.

And for large corporations like the EVSC, the uncertainty surrounding critical funding is something they’re closely monitoring.

“Regardless of what the future looks like for the U.S. Department of Education,” said Jason Woebkenberg, the chief communication officer for the EVSC, “it’s where those programs go, and how they’re going to managed that will ultimately impact students. That’s what we’re paying attention to.”

Woebkenberg says the main thing is to make sure schools keep their essential Title I and special education funding. He says if the U.S. Department of Education is dissolved, but crucial funding is still available through the states’ departments of education, this may not have a big impact on corporations or students.

All of that is yet to be determined, as President Trump has yet to act on campaign promises to eliminate the education department.

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