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    • What a second Trump term could mean for Wisconsin schools, students
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    What a second Trump term could mean for Wisconsin schools, students

    Online Niel Posted on

    President-elect Donald Trump has promised major changes to federal agencies. But he is one he said he wanted to eliminate it permanently: US Department of Education.

    Closing the department would require congressional approval, which experts on both sides of the aisle agree is possible — but probably not on the table.

    “It’s very unlikely to happen,” said Max Eden, a senior fellow focused on education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “I think it’s much more likely to expect major action from within the department than to expect the department to close its doors.”

    In Trump’s first term and on the campaign trail this election cycle, he suggested cutting funding to K-12 schools; punishing schools that promote diversity, equity and inclusion; and reducing civil rights protections for black and LGBTQ students that were expanded under his Democratic predecessors, all of which could have major implications for Wisconsin schools and students.

    “There’s still a lot of potential to harm students in schools in other ways,” said Michelle Dimino, director of education at Third Way, a left-leaning public policy think tank.

    Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s proposal, why it’s unlikely to gain ground, and how it could impact education over the next four years:

    What does the federal department of education do?

    Republican calls to abolish the federal education department date back to the Reagan era. They see the agency’s existence as bureaucratic overreach and believe that education is better left to the states.

    The department distributes some federal grants for programs such as the Title I program for high-poverty K-12 schools and another program for special education. But most of the money for public schools comes from state and local property taxes. In all, less than 10 percent of K-12 school funding goes through the federal agency.

    Also, the department conduct research and provides guidance on best practices in the classroom, most of which are optional. But it has little influence on curricular decisions, such as which books are appropriate for students.

    Among the department’s largest responsibilities is the administration of federal financial aid programs and federal student loans.

    The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a conservative policy initiative that provides a playbook for the next administration, suggests moving departmental responsibilities and revenue streams elsewhere. Title I funding, for example, would revert to states over a 10-year period under Project 2025. The Treasury Department would take over collection and default on federal student loans.

    Why is the US Department of Education shutdown unlikely to happen?

    The numbers just aren’t there. Even though Republicans will hold 53 seats in the Senate in January, experts said shutting down a federal agency would require a supermajority of 60 votes, and seven Democrats are unlikely to agree.

    The Senate Majority Leader could waive filibuster rules, clearing the way for major changes to be made with a simple majority. However, Eden questioned whether more moderate Republican senators would join.

    “I think it’s a very legitimate threat that President-elect Trump is making, but the mechanisms to get rid of the department are too steep a hurdle,” Dimino said.

    What might Trump do within the department?

    Education was not among Trump’s top priorities in his first term. He rescinded President Barack Obama-era guidance for districts to report discipline disparities based on race and rewrote rules on how schools and colleges should respond to sexual assaults, giving more due process to those accused of assault. He also pushed for deep cuts to education programs, which Congress did not support.

    This time, he also suggested major cuts to education spending that would disproportionately affect low-income students and those with disabilities.

    Congressional control of the purse strings will likely again be a buffer for steep budget cuts, Dimino said.

    “Expect some kind of incendiary budget statements from President Trump, but just balance that with the fact that it has to go through Congress and that their constituents are not going to want to see that cut in funding,” he said Dimino.

    The assault on higher education is likely to continue

    Republicans in recent years have described colleges as “woke” institutions. They brought in Ivy League presidents to grill them about their handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests, which later led to their resignations. Trump colleague JD Vance described universities as “the enemy”.

    Expect “a lot of painting faculty and higher education as elitist and left-wing and disconnected in a way that hurts higher education as a brand,” Dimino said.

    Project 2025 also calls for reducing diversity efforts on college campuses.

    Eden said the Trump administration could use Title VI, the federal law that prohibits racial discrimination, to discourage colleges from engaging in racial stereotyping that he said is common in DEI programming.

    “I could easily see action on that front,” he said.

    Trump has called the college accreditation process the “secret weapon” to force ideological change. Schools need accreditation for their students to be eligible for federal financial aid.

    The Department’s Office for Civil Rights should be the focus

    Some of the Department of Education’s most controversial work involves interpreting civil rights laws that protect students from discrimination.

    The Biden administration, for example, wrote rules on Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools, to include discrimination based on gender identity. This interpretation expanded protections for transgender students.

    states run by republicans sued to block the ruleswith a judge putting regulations on hold in many states, including some Wisconsin schools. Trump will likely reverse the regulations.

    Reducing student loan debt would be a lower priority

    Trump is also likely to reverse President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness programs, which conservatives say is unfair to people who worked to pay off their debt and those who don’t go to college.

    Under the Biden administration, more than $160 billion in student loans were canceled for 4.7 million borrowers.

    Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at [email protected] or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.

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