The College Fix

OPINION: Give back power to the states, educators, and parents who know what’s best for their children

Growing up on a dairy farm, my father worked tirelessly to support his family while balancing academics and athletics. Despite the loans looming overhead, he attended college as a student-athlete, becoming a first-generation college graduate without the federal government’s intervention.

Now, as a public school superintendent, he has devoted his life to educating and equipping students for life. He is the perfect example of why we do not need unelected bureaucrats running our schools. Instead, it is time we leave educating the future of America in the hands of experienced educators.

This past January, Congress introduced H.R. 899 with one line: “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026.” Education is a state’s issue, plain and simple. The federal government should not be involved in the intellectual development of our children.

Last week, reports that President Trump was planning to sign an executive order dismantling the department started circulating across the media.

The original Department of Education was founded by President Andrew Johnson in 1867 to “collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems.” The modern Department of Education was founded in 1979 under President Carter to improve access to and the quality of education in a time plagued with inequality within our education system.

Despite the 6th largest federal budget, the Education Department is the smallest Cabinet department with only 4,100 employees, although it is currently being downsized to about 2,200 under the Trump administration.

It currently spends $800 billion annually, despite only 11 percent of funding for public schools coming from the federal government, versus 90 percent from state and local municipalities.

Beyond the financial price tag is an even greater cost—an educated citizenry. According to the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress results, “40 percent of fourth graders did not meet basic reading levels, the highest percentage ever recorded.” To make matters worse, “70 percent of eighth graders weren’t proficient in reading, and 72 percent weren’t proficient in math.” And the downward trend is only continuing. With scores at an all-time low, it begs the question: What is our hard-earned money going toward?

Despite the colossal problems the Department of Education created, the solution is simple: elimination. Currently, it shares the same responsibilities with other departments. For example, the Office for Civil Rights within the department has duplicate roles with the Department of Justice, making the transfer of duties seamless.

On the financial side, eliminating the offices could save billions over time. In 2024, the department spent $268 billion, which made up four percent of federal spending. However, removing the Office of Postsecondary Education would cut $2.1 billion in government spending and the Department of Treasury could absorb the student loan division. When it comes to eliminating the Education Department, with minor alterations come significant savings and even greater rewards.

Despite the data, abolishing the agency is controversial, to say the least. Headlines cry out in a crisis, alleging the end of America’s education system as we know it.

However, beyond the limited funding provided to schools, the department has overstepped the basic principle of Federalism, implementing an unsuccessful and unconstitutional policy that wastes Americans’ time and money.

The federal government has a history of overreach when it comes to education policy in particular. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, controlling the curriculum and standardized testing administered in public schools. The only successful part of the NCLB was its remarkable ability to spend federal funds. Test scores for older students remained stagnant.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a champion for improving education in Arkansas, said it best: “Education is a lifeboat. Without it, you drown. With it, you choose your own life path.” And as of now, the lifeboat is sinking. The federal government has hopped on board, and the power from unelected bureaucrats is weighing it down. As the water floods in, they appear more willing to take the children down with them, grasping for power at any cost.

However, Congress and President Trump have vowed to give back power to the states, educators, and parents who know what’s best for their children. It’s time to dissolve the Department of Education.

Natalie Price is a student at American University and the communications intern at the Network of enlightened Women.

MORE: Trump drafts executive order to close down Education Department

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: U.S. Department of Education building in Washington. D.C.; CBS News YouTube screenshot

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter