Some educators on the Central Coast are voicing concerns about the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, declaring, “In a few moments, I will sign an executive order to begin eliminating the Federal Department of Education once and for all.”
During a press conference, Trump emphasized that education is failing across the nation and that the plan would return control of education to individual states.
“We're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs, and this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it's a common sense thing to do, and it's going to work,” Trump said.
The decision has sparked alarm among educators in California. Earlier this week, members of the San Luis Coastal Teacher Association organized a protest in response to the executive order.
Phil Angel, a staff member at Los Osos Middle School, expressed concern for vulnerable students.
"I'm nervous for our students. What does it mean for our most vulnerable students that the current presidential administration wants to cut the Department of Education? It means that our most vulnerable students will go without funding," Angel said at a school board meeting in March.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with 20 other states, filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over proposed staff cuts within the Department of Education. Bonta argued that the cuts could lead to the eventual collapse of the department.
The lawsuit claims that the executive order is illegal, asserting that acts established by Congress cannot be repealed without following proper checks and balances.
