Public schools and the U.S. Department of Education exist because every child, in every state and neighborhood has the right to a world class public education that inspires them and allows them to grow and succeed.
All students benefit from programs run by the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE), especially lower-income students and their families in rural, suburban, and urban communities, students and families who qualify for federal grants or loans to receive career training or attend 2- and 4-year colleges, and students with disabilities.
The ability to receive support in our professions, the ability for students to learn and succeed, and our collective ability to create safe communities will all be impacted by the dismantling of the U.S. DOE.
When Washington talks about shutting down the U.S. Department of Education, here’s what that really means:
- Stripping away the ability for educators to support children through IEPs
- Removing critical ESE resources for students and educators in a state that has already proposed further cutting these resources
- Cutting off access to programs that help students who experience homelessness
- Further disadvantaging rural students
- Decimating the programs that help students with disabilities
- Dampening access to higher education
- Impairing the ability to train mental health professionals and provide mental health services for schools
Educators in Florida want to do one thing: educate. Teachers and education staff professionals work every day to inspire, support and help our children grow. They want to be able to support their families, get healthcare without rising premiums, do their jobs without political interference and retire with dignity after a lifetime of service. Dismantling public education doesn’t help us get there.
Investing in the health and education of our children is not “government waste” — don’t let Washington wreck public education.
What programs does the U.S. DOE support in Florida?
Title I directs money to schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty and provides support. Support provided through Title I, such as reading specialists and smaller class sizes, could be decimated if there are no accountability measures or guardrails to the money. More than 1.4 million students participate in Florida’s Title I programs.
The Education Department also administers Federal Student Aid, such as Pell Grants, federal student loans, and loan repayment and forgiveness programs. Thirty percent of U.S. college students rely on these federal loans to pay their tuition. Students and families could lose this support, leading to more students dropping out, fewer choices, and fewer options for families. $2.2 billion in Pell Grants have helped 459,000 students in Florida.
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights protects students against discrimination based on race, gender, and disability. If the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice is moved out of the DOE, it would severely weaken its ability to protect students against discrimination.
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