Parents, educators, and education advocates are sounding alarms about the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). Across the state, parents and teachers have expressed concern over the plan to erase funding from the millions of students who depend on federal education funding.
On Wednesday, North Carolina teachers and parents delivered letters to Senator Thom Tillis’ office, urging the senator to vote to keep the crucial department up and running.
WRAL reports that over 202,000 students in North Carolina rely on federally funded special education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For 2025, the state will receive $448 million in IDEA funding, according to NCAE.
Over 750,000 North Carolina students benefit from $534 million in Title I funding from USDOE. Title I is a program that helps all students get a high-quality education, regardless of their family’s income by providing financial assistance to school districts.
“Those funds mean more teachers, support staff, and resources for the kids in our schools who need it most,” The North Carolina Association of Educators said in a statement to WRAL.
The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s efforts to strip away funding will hurt North Carolina’s rural and urban Title I schools the most—particularly those with high concentrations of low-income students.
Sen. Tillis has shown support towards Trump’s efforts to dismantle the government and its various agencies. In the last few weeks, Sen. Tillis has backed all of Trump’s cabinet, including Trump’s pick to run the Department of Education, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon.
A recent poll from Meredith College found that a majority of North Carolinians do not support efforts to abolish the Department of Education, with 63% opposing it compared to 30% supporting it.
