close
close

Apre-salomemanzo

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

    • If Trump closes the Department of Education, what will happen in Florida?
    aecifo

    If Trump closes the Department of Education, what will happen in Florida?

    Umito Posted on

    “It should be dissolved. We don’t need a federal Department of Education,” said U.S. Senator Rick Scott, agreeing with President-elect Trump earlier this week.

    play

    President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants “shut down” the US Department of Education — something he said repeatedly on the campaign trail, along with promises of school choice.

    “I’m going to bring education back to America, and we’re going to do it quickly,” Trump said. at a rally in Pennsylvania in October.

    What would this mean for the state of Florida?

    The Department of Education not only funds programs for Florida’s most vulnerable children, but it also funds Pell Grants (aid that helps students go to college) and manages the state’s compliance with laws federal, such as Title IX.

    Critics of Trump’s plan say leaving it up to states would funnel money into state family empowerment scholarships, one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ major education initiatives, and enable discrimination of LGBTQ students.

    But some of Florida’s top leaders in Washington agree with Trump.

    “It should be dissolved. We don’t need a federal Department of Education. Senator Rick Scott said earlier this week.

    And Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. hasn’t specifically weighed in on the idea, but he’s not a fan of the department.

    This week, he posted on division.”

    About 1 in 5 dollars spent on education comes from federal funds

    Florida schools receive funding from local, state and federal funds. Those federal funds account for about 18 percent, according to the Florida Policy Institute (FPI), a nonprofit think tank in the state. For this year, that’s about $10.5 billion, according to Norin Dollard, senior policy analyst at FPI.

    “All three levels of government must ensure that maximum resources are made available to students to support their learning,” said Dollard.

    Although the department channels much of the federal government’s funds to the states, other agencies also directly fund state programs, such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    For example, Leon County schools received $19.6 million in federal funds from the USDA for the National School Lunch program.

    Federal funds flowing through the department supporting populations of children most at risk of not graduating from high school in Florida, Dollard said.

    English language learners, Title I schools, which serve a greater concentration of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and students with disabilities rely on federal state funding for their programs.

    This year, the federal government gave Florida more than $830 million for special education programs and more than $1 billion was set aside for “education of the disadvantaged.” according to federal government data.

    Critics fear money is being siphoned off to pay for private school vouchers

    In recent years, under DeSantis’ leadership, lawmakers have expanded school choice vouchers, a move that worries Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Teachers Union, because he believes if left to school leaders state, the most vulnerable children would be affected if Trump sent money from the Department of Education directly to the states.

    With no family income cap, any student in Florida can qualify for a good about $8,000 attend the private school of their choice using state money through the Family Empowerment Scholarship, provided the private school accepts them.

    “These are public school dollars,” said Spar, president of the Florida Education Association.

    According to FPI, the price of these vouchers is increasing: $2.8 billion has been allocated to vouchers this year, compared to $2.1 billion in 2023-2024 and $1.4 billion in 2022-2023.

    “The U.S. Department of Education is really a gatekeeper,” and leaving DeSantis in charge would put special needs and poor students at risk, said Spar, who thinks the money could be spent for other initiatives that match what the governor wants.

    Some of the funds received by the state, however, coincide with the governor’s education agenda.

    The state receives more than $82 million in state grants for career and technical education (CTE). In 2019, DeSantis sets a goal making Florida No. 1 in the nation in workforce training by 2030, and has since allocated billions of dollars to CTE.

    In Florida, February is recognized as Career and Technical Education Month. “This strategic commitment prepares the next generation for success, fostering a thriving economy built on a highly skilled and educated workforce,” Diaz said. in a press release This year.

    Will Title IX no longer include transgender students?

    The department is also responsible for ensuring that states comply with federal law, such as Title IX, a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity that receives federal funding.

    Florida, however, opposed the federal government’s new interpretation of the civil rights law because of the expansion of protections based on gender identity. Some Florida lawmakers fear Trump will embolden DeSantis’ attacks on the trans and LGBTQ community.

    In recent years, Florida Republicans have pushed for laws that criminalize trans people for using the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity and have restricted health care for trans people.

    In April, Diaz, under DeSantis, warned superintendents and school districts not to implement any changes to Title IX. Florida joined other states, including Louisiana and Oklahoma, in opposing the new federal regulations. In August, a judge granted an injunction to the state against the new rules.

    DeSantis called the new regulations a “radical rewrite” and said the rule would “impose gender ideology in elementary and secondary schools across the country.”

    In one of his first appearances on the campaign trail, Trump echoed DeSantis’ efforts and pledged to roll back protections for transgender students.

    In Iowa in 2023Trump said he would cut federal funding for schools teaching “critical race theory,” “transgender madness” or “other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content about our children.”

    “We are seeing a complete reinterpretation of these programs, not only to discriminate against LGBTQ-plus students, but also to remove protections against girls,” said state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, D-Orlando.

    “At least the Biden administration had some safeguards, and I fear those will be replaced by hostile individuals who will use their position to discriminate against LGBTQ people across the country,” she said.

    Ana Goñi-Lessan is the state watchdog reporter for USA TODAY – Florida and can be reached at [email protected].

    Umito
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like