WASHINGTON (AP) — During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump heaped scorn on the federal Department of Education, describing it as infiltrated by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.”
He chose Linda McMahon, a former wrestling manager, to head the department. But like many conservative politicians before him, Trump has called for the department to be dismantled entirely — an arduous task that would likely require congressional action.
The agency’s main task is financial. Every year it distributes billions of dollars in federal money to universities and schools and manages the federal portfolio of student loans. Closing the department would mean that each of these tasks would be transferred to a different agency. The Department of Education also plays an crucial regulatory role in services for students, from people with disabilities to low-income and homeless children.
In fact, federal money for education is central to Trump’s plans for colleges and schools. Trump has vowed to cut federal funding to schools and colleges that promote “critical race theory, transgender insanity and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” and to reward states and schools that end teacher tenure and implement universal school choice programs.
Federal funding makes up a relatively diminutive portion of public school budgets – about 14%. Colleges and universities rely more on it through research grants and government financial aid that lend a hand students pay their tuition.
Here’s a look at some of the department’s key functions and how Trump has said he will address them.
Student Loans and Financial Aid
The Department of Education manages approximately $1.5 trillion in student loan debt for over 40 million borrowers. It also oversees the Pell Grant, which provides assistance to students below a certain income level, and administers the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which universities employ to provide financial aid.
The Biden administration has made student loan cancellation a central focus of the department’s work. Since Biden’s first attempt to cancel student loans was overturned by the Supreme Court, the government has forgiven more than $175 billion to more than 4.8 million borrowers through a series of changes to the programs it administers, such as public service loan forgiveness.
The loan forgiveness effort faced Republican resistance, including litigation from several Republican-led states.
Trump criticized Biden’s efforts to cancel debt as illegal and unfair, calling it a “total disaster” that “mocked young people.” Trump’s student debt plan is uncertain: He hasn’t provided any detailed plans.
Enforcement of civil rights
Through its Office of Civil Rights, the Department of Education conducts research and issues guidance on how civil rights laws should be applied, such as for LGBTQ+ students and students of color. The office also oversees a vast data collection project that tracks disparities in resources, course access and discipline for students from different racial and socioeconomic groups.
Trump has offered a different interpretation of the office’s civil rights role. In his campaign platform, he said he would pursue civil rights lawsuits to “stop schools from discriminating on the basis of race.” He has described diversity and equity policies in education as “explicit unlawful discrimination” and said colleges that employ them must pay fines and tax their endowments.
Trump has also pledged to exclude transgender students from protections in Title IX, which affects school policies on student employ of pronouns, bathrooms and locker rooms. Title IX was originally passed in 1972 and initially served as a women’s rights law. This year, Biden’s administration said the law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, but Trump could reverse that.
University accreditation
Although the Department of Education does not directly accredit colleges and universities, it oversees the system by reviewing all state-recognized accreditation agencies. Higher education institutions must be accredited to access federal funds for student financing.
Accreditation was put to the test by conservatives in 2022 when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools questioned political interference at public colleges and universities in Florida. Trump has said he would fire “radical left accreditors” and accept applications for fresh accreditors that would uphold standards including “defending the American tradition” and removing “Marxist” diversity administrators.
Although the Secretary of Education has the authority to terminate its relationships with individual accreditation agencies, this is a laborious process that is rarely carried out. Under President Barack Obama, the department took steps to eliminate accreditors for a now-defunct for-profit college chain, but the Trump administration blocked the move. The group, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, was disbanded by the Biden administration in 2022.
Money for schools
Much of the Department of Education’s money for K-12 schools flows through major federal programs, such as: B. Title I for Low-Income Schools and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These programs support services for students with disabilities, smaller classes with additional teaching positions, and pay for social workers and other non-teaching roles in schools.
During his campaign, Trump called for these functions to be shifted to the states. He did not provide details on how the agency’s core mission of transferring federal money to local districts and schools would be handled.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a comprehensive proposal that outlines a far-right vision for the country and overlaps in some areas with Trump’s campaign, offers a blueprint. It proposes initially transferring oversight of programs for children with disabilities and low-income children to the Department of Health and Human Services before funding is eventually phased out and converted into non-binding grants to states.
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Associated Press education writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
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