Wake County parents and school board leaders are raising concerns about Trump’s attempt to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. The Wake County School system has warned that eliminating the department would have a devastating impact on the thousands of families who rely on the funding and resources.
Magnet schools and services for low-income, special education, and homeless students would be most affected.
“The potential abolishment of the Department of Education would really put a deficit not just on our work but on the taxpayers as well because the taxpayers would have to step in the gap,” Tyler Swanson, school board vice chair, told The News & Observer.
According to Wake County Public Schools, the school district received $217 million in federal funds last year from the U.S. Department of Education. This funding helped programs in special education, magnet schools, school lunches, and teaching positions.
According to WRAL, the Wake school system has more than 20,000 students enrolled in special education and over 40 schools that receive Title I funding for things like extra teachers or other services. Wake County has 13 magnet schools that are supported by federal magnet school assistance program funding for either starting or modifying their magnet programs.
“We have so many special education students in Wake County that if you pull them out, they would be the 14th largest school district in the state,” Chris Heagarty, Wake County School Board Chairman, told ABC 11. “Tell me in what world we live in where taking money away from kids like them is a good idea.”
The Wake County Board of Education discussed a draft proposal that pushed back against the Trump administration eliminating the federal department.
The letter states the department is “a vital agency responsible for ensuring equitable access to quality education for all students. The USDOE establishes policies that ensure eligible applicants serving early childhood, elementary, secondary & post-secondary programs, individuals with disabilities, those living in poverty, migrants, and those with limited English proficiency adhere to practices that best serve these populations.”
