Last Tuesday, West Chester University faculty and students joined educators countrywide in what was billed a “National Day of Action.” The events, organized by the 1.8 million members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), sought to raise awareness around proposed cuts to federal education funding and the elimination of the Department of Education. At West Chester University, local APSCUF members (an AFT affiliate) organized a rally in the Quad and a daylong teach-in at the Sykes Student Union.
“The goal is to let local communities know what’s at stake,” said education policy scholar and APSCUF-WCU recording secretary Dana Morrison at the start of the morning’s lesson. I attended the session, but the broad scope of the directive “eliminate the Department of Education” as well as accompanying budget cuts left me fuzzy on the details. What exactly would that mean? Would popular programs like the National School Lunch Program, Title 1 funding, and Pell grants disappear? Would students be harmed, or would things just move to the states or other government agencies as proponents suggest? I peppered Dana with questions, and she graciously answered them all.
The Elimination of the U.S. Department of Education
One question I have: Is it likely U.S. Department of Education (USDE) programs will end completely or will they just be moved to other federal agencies?
“It’s unlikely that all federal programs for education would end if the USDE were eliminated,” says Dana. The largest funding sources that go to schools come from long-standing legislative acts that can only be ended by Congress. These include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides funding and support for elementary and secondary education, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Higher Education Act, which provides financial assistance to college students. (Yes, I had to look them all up).
That, however, is the simple part of the answer. While the money is allocated by congress, these programs are at least in part administered by the USDE. With no USDE, it is unclear whether the administration of those acts could simply be moved to another department or if they would need to be re-legislated.
“With no standard or independent review, private companies will step up and fill this void.”
WCU assistant education professor Dr. Ben Brumley
What will be lost
So, what programs would be directly impacted?
“Schools rely on many other things that the USDE does, including research and compliance. For example, schools usually cannot afford to research curricular programs, professional development for teachers, educational technologies, etc. They rely on the research arm of the USDE,” says Dana. This was explained in the panel by WCU assistant education professor, Dr. Ben Brumley, who has worked for the USDE as a reviewer at the Institute of Educational Sciences’ “What Works Clearinghouse.” The group, formed in 2002, uses research to improve the nation’s education system. Ben shared that without oversight, education businesses would be free to put forth their best sales pitch without independent verification.
“With no standard or independent review, private companies will step up and fill this void,” he said. It should be noted Ben has received financial support from the USDE for his research work at WCU.
The largest chunks of money there are, are the NSLP and student aid (post-secondary loans and grants), which means the budget is essentially pitting hungry children against poor and working class college students.”
WCU Policy Scholar Dana Morrison
The Funding Conundrum
Making things extra complicated is that eliminating the USDE may be coupled with steep cuts to education across the board. This can be seen in both the proposed House and Senate budgets. These cuts have led to a whole other set of worries for educators.
“The national school lunch program (NSLP) is implemented by the USDA, but in the House budget that passed last week, the Committee for Education & Workforce was charged with cutting $330 billion out of the $720 billion budget it oversees. The largest chunks of money there are, are the NSLP and student aid (post-secondary loans and grants), which means the budget is essentially pitting hungry children against poor and working class college students,” says Dana.
“[Title 1 funding, which aids low-income schools, of which West Chester has a few, and Pell grants is] also included, as well as things like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), which is used by teachers, social workers, and other public service employees. All would be on the chopping block to get $330 billion in cuts,” says Dana.
“These are just a few of the ways students could be impacted, and we must acknowledge that it would fall hardest on those students who already struggle in under-resourced schools. Wealthy districts might, might be able to make up for these shortfalls, but in school districts that are already underfunded, the impacts would be devastating,” she says.
The DEI Question
Ironically, diversity, education, and inclusion programs, which are often used as a rallying cry for change, would not be directly impacted.
“When it comes to curriculum, yes, it should hold true,” says Dana. “There are provisions in major education acts that limit direct federal involvement in school curriculum and day-to-day operations.” However, these could still be affected.
“One area DEI-related curriculum can be attacked, however, is in military schools,” she adds.
“Additionally, there are areas outside of the explicit curriculum that diversity, equity, & inclusion efforts exist and are being targeted. First, in research funded by federal grants, investigators are being told that anything the current administration might deem “DEI” would be banned. This would be a level of censorship not seen before in the U.S., which is why several suits have been filed alleging violations of free speech, among other things.”
“I’ve also been informed from scholars in other states, that federal grant-funded non-profits that service schools have been eliminated because of “DEI,” which suggests similar impacts are likely happening in PA that we haven’t heard about yet,” she said.
“Pennsylvania needs more teachers, and these cuts would create tremendous barriers to recruiting bright young people into the profession.”
Dana Morrison
Educator Impact
As a policy expert, it is Dana’s job to understand and explain proposed changes to education policy, but I was curious, is she, as an educator, worried about these changes or does this just mark a new era in teaching philosophy?
“I feel like I could write an essay on this but I will share two reasons to start,” she said. So, I’m guessing that’s a yes.
“First, schools have already been unequally funded for decades as the 2023 PA Supreme Court ruling acknowledged. Any step backward, at the federal, state, or local level would negatively impact students, families, educators, and communities. Because I prepare future teachers, there’s an added layer of this for me. I encourage my education majors to think critically about the system and work for changes that will benefit their students. Yet these cuts would leave schools worse off just as they are graduating and entering the classroom.”
“Second, as a post-secondary educator these cuts will hit higher education hard. Our students, particularly our working class students and students of color, would have a harder time paying for college, they might take on additional debt, or worse, they might not attend at all.
“This would impact WCU and the entire PA State System of Higher Education as our students rely heavily on student aid. For my education students, they already experience higher levels of student debt post-graduation because of lagging teacher pay. Pennsylvania needs more teachers, and these cuts would create tremendous barriers to recruiting bright young people into the profession,” she said.
Bringing it home
“One other important point I’ll add is that when I say local districts might be able to make up for some federal losses (wealthier schools receive smaller percentages from federal sources), they would need to make up the difference by raising property/school taxes,” says Dana.
To bring that home, the West Chester Area School District receives about 3 percent from federal sources. If that were lost, they would need to make up nearly $10 million*, likely in tax revenue.
*Figures according to the 2021-22 data on the NCES.ed.gov database.
Originally published on Mar. 7, 2025
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