Baltimore (WBFF) — President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. In less than two months, Trump will become the 47th President of the United States. If he follows through on that campaign promise, what will it look like? And, how will it affect Maryland?
Toria White supports public education. She has three children, all of them attended Anne Arundel County Schools.
White is also a member of the Maryland Republican party who understands why President-elect Trump says he wants to abolish the U.S. Department of Education.
“I’m going to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states. We’re going to do it fast,” Trump said during a September rally in Pennsylvania.
“I understand it because the education system is not competitive in the global market,” White explained.
War Thunder – Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real PlayersWar ThunderPlay Now
How Trump’s plan to shut down the U.S. Department of Education could impact Maryland (WBFF)
White is not yet fully committed to the idea. She wants to hear specifics. But she does feel if the DoE were abolished, it would empower parents by eliminating a burdensome and oftentimes confusing government bureaucracy.
“I think that it also gives the parents more control,” White told Project Baltimore.
The U.S. Department of Education’s mission, according to its website, is to “Promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness.” Has it worked?
Every three years, PISA, the Program for International Student Assessment, tests 15-year-old students in most countries around the developed world. The most recent results were released in 2023. The United States ranked 34th in math, ninth in reading and 16th in science.
Dr. Joshua Michael is the President of the Maryland State Board of Education (WBFF)
“Do you believe the Department of Education has succeeded in its mission?” Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst asked Dr. Joshua Michael, the President of the Maryland State Board of Education.
“I think we’ve made successes in some ways. And there are clearly opportunities for improvement,” Michael replied.
The U.S. Department of Education was created in 1979 and has around 4,400 employees. This year, most of its $238 billion budget will go to student aid programs for college and other post-secondary education. The rest is largely distributed to the states. In 2024, $18 billion helped fund schools in high poverty areas. Another $14 billion went to the states to educate students with disabilities.
“The real question for us is what will happen to those funds?” said Michael. “We’re anxious to see what the arrangements going to look like.”
In Maryland, about seven percent of all public k-12 education dollars come from the federal government. Any adjustment to that number, Michael says, could have a signification impact on the state. A recent Department of Legislative Services report projects Maryland, by 2026, will likely face a $2.7 billion budgetary shortfall – largely driven by education spending.
President-elect Donald Trump is pictured at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Pool photo)
“We’re watching carefully to see if there are any signs or we’re going to see reductions in federal support to education. We’re very cautious about that,” Michael told Project Baltimore.
But the U.S. Department of Education does more than just distribute funding to the states. Every two years, the federal government releases what’s known as the Nation’s Report Card, where students in all 50 states take similar tests allowing the public to see where students in each state stand nationally. If the DoE is abolished, would the Nation’s Report Card continue?
President-elect Trump has not yet provided specifics of what will happen if the DoE is shut down. But Michael says no matter what happens, Maryland must be ready.
“Is there anything, as the president of the state school board that you may know about what’s happening in Washington that the rest of us don’t?” Asked Papst.
“Chris, I am learning alongside with you,” said Michael. “But I’d say we are committed and dedicated to ensuring that people across Maryland have access to a great public school system. We’re going to continue to make sure that we have great public schools in this state, no matter the changes that occur at the federal level.”
President-elect Trump will be sworn in on January 20, 2025. He has already nominated his former head of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon to be the next DoE Secretary.