AFT Members Voice Concerns Over Trump's Plan to Eliminate Ed Dept

Teachers Nationwide Voice Concerns Over Potential Abolition of U.S. Education Department

WASHINGTON—Members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have expressed significant apprehension regarding former President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. Educators are questioning the future support for students in poverty, those with disabilities, and individuals reliant on financial aid if the department is dissolved.

AFT affiliates advocate for state and local control over education, yet, similar to public opinion, they support a federal role in education and oppose the department's abolition. AFT President Randi Weingarten described the attempt as not only unpopular but also illegal.

“As Republican governors at the White House celebrate the dismantling of a federal role in education, our members across the country are worried about the impact this will have on their students,” Weingarten stated. “No one likes bureaucracy, and everyone’s in favor of more efficiency, so let’s find ways to accomplish that. But this isn’t efficiency, it’s evisceration.”

For interviews with Weingarten or other AFT members, contact press@aft.org.

Bethany Letiecq, George Mason University professor, criticized the administration's actions, stating, “This administration is creating absolute chaos and fear. The Department of Education is vital, not only for meeting the needs of children living in poverty and with disabilities, but also for those who need financial support to get to college."

Christina Chuderski, a Florida elementary school teacher, emphasized the department's importance, noting, “As a Florida teacher in Title I schools for 23 years and a parent of two special needs kids, I’ve seen how vital the Department of Education is to the lives of children. Dismantling it would be a disaster, stripping protections from our most vulnerable students while pushing ineffective voucher schemes that leave many kids behind."

Heather Stambaugh, Ohio social studies teacher, warned, “Closing the Department of Education will not only create chaos but will put in jeopardy critical funding for students with disabilities and Title I support systems. Our more rural district uses these funds to ensure we can provide Title I teachers and support programs, including tutors, to our struggling readers."

Sharon Snowton, retired Texas educator, highlighted financial impacts, saying, "I know eliminating the Department of Education will hurt Texas children by cutting services that support our students by $3.66 billion. These actions will hurt our students in rural communities, our military families, our Native American students, and our students with disabilities."

Jennifer Graves, special education teacher in Connecticut, expressed concern over funding losses: “Our schools are already grossly underfunded in Connecticut. We are really, really struggling already and constantly working in a deficit model to support not only general education students, but especially our most vulnerable populations—our multilingual learners and our students with disabilities."

Ternesha Burroughs, Minnesota high school math teacher, pointed out, “Losing federal funding means losing vital programs for students with disabilities, from wheelchair access to job-skills training. Without these supports, people may have to quit work to care for their kids, and older students may lose opportunities to learn job skills."

Robert Castleberry, Kansas fifth-grade teacher, remarked, “We will lose counselors, social workers, behavior specialists—people who ensure safety and stability for students who need it most. Without these special needs supports, we aren’t setting students up for success. We are setting them up for failure."

Michael Brix, Illinois career and technical education instructor, raised concerns over fund distribution, stating, “Over the last 10 years we have seen a nice growth in the number of CTE students, which we need in the workforce. I hope this change by the government doesn’t set educators back years while our states are working to try and figure out how to distribute all those funds."

Rodney Fresh, Detroit high school social studies teacher, shared a personal account, “I just want to put a face on it. Because I had a student that had an internship from a CTE program, and her internship was put on hold because the funding was put on hold. We have students taking speech online because there aren’t enough speech teachers."

Bill Schwandt, Minnesota special education paraprofessional, reflected on past funding cuts, saying, “Fifteen years ago, the governor slashed education funding in Minnesota. Our schools are still struggling to recover. Any cuts in federal funding now would erase our recovery and harm students’ learning for years, if not decades.”

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