Lockers in the Luxemburg-Casco Middle School. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Even before President Donald Trump put pen to paper, word of his plans to slash the Department of Education has sparked debate in Wisconsin.
Now that it’s official, state leaders are weighing in on the move.
Thursday’s executive order comes after the agency initiated a nearly 50% cut to its workforce earlier this month. The changes are cause for concern for some Wisconsin education advocates.
“This step by Trump and others, we know will have a negative impact on every student and every school within the state of Wisconsin,” said Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen.
Wirtz-Olsen is frustrated with the order. More than $841 million comes to the state through the Education Department, providing around 7% of Wisconsin’s school funding. Wirtz-Olsen is worried about losing the money, and she believes the move leaves special education programs and students in rural areas stranded.
“We are standing up and will continue to advocate. The answer is certainly full-funding for all of our public schools here in Wisconsin and across the country, and not tax breaks for wealthy billionaires,” Wirtz-Olsen said.
Trump said in his remarks Thursday that pell grants and Title I funding for students with disabilities through the agency will remain intact.
Entirely closing the department requires an act of Congress, but Thursday’s order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start taking it apart.
While many are against eliminating the Department of Education, others are in favor of the move and say students will be better off without it.
“What we’re doing right now, nationally, is not working very well,” former Wisconsin Assembly Speaker John Gard said.
Many Republicans, like Gard, argue education should be operated at the state level, without federal government interference. He said continually funding the department is a misuse of cash.
“All that money is being wasted in Washington, when you could take that money, send it back to the states and let the states use it on the things they believe are most important for kids in the classroom,” Gard said.
Gard said saving money from the agency will bring more money locally to programs like special education. He also believes there needs to be more focus on reading test scores in Wisconsin.
“If we can get kids to read better, to be better at math, to use our money as locally as possible, I think the outcomes are going to improve,” Gard said.
Here is reaction from other state officials:
U.S. Rep Tony Wied, R-8th District
I believe that by every metric, the Department of Education has consistently failed America’s students. I trust Wisconsin educators over federal bureaucrats any day and I will always be a proponent of returning more power to the states and our local officials.
Governor Tony Evers (D)
President Trump and Elon Musk every day are gutting programs our kids, families, farmers, veterans, and seniors depend upon. Eliminating the Department of Education and cutting funding for our public schools will have disastrous consequences for Wisconsin’s kids and schools.
Make no mistake: this is an escalation of President Trump’s and Elon Musk’s assault on our constitutional checks and balances. No one should have the sole power to make decisions like this unchecked. This is not how we do things in America.
Jill Underly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
We have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that every child – no matter their background, ability, or circumstance – has access to a high-quality education. We cannot, and will not, allow political agendas to jeopardize the vital programs and services that so many Wisconsin families depend on.
In Wisconsin, we will continue to stand firm and will not back down from our responsibility to educate and uplift all students. We will fight for their future every step of the way.
Attorney General Josh Kaul
Shutting down the Department of Education would mean taking from our kids’ educations to give more money to folks like Elon Musk. We filed suit last week to block the Trump administration’s shameful attempt to dismantle the Department of Education, and we won’t back down from protecting its vital role in supporting access to quality education. As Donald Trump continues trying to sabotage critical institutions, we’re going to keep stepping up to stop his actions that would weaken America.
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