Headlines this week about the Trump Administration’s shuttering of the U.S. Department of Education create more questions than answers about the impact on Idaho public education.
Many aspects of President Donald Trump’s executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department are in flux, including the fundamental question of whether the president has the legal authority to order the demise of an agency created by Congress.
While the full impacts are unclear, there’s little question that the department’s administration of federal funding for education programs has a profound impact on classrooms in the Gem State. According to this assessment by the National Education Association, Idaho receives more than $310 million dollars in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title I funding, Pell Grants, and career and technical education grants administered by the department.
Here’s a breakdown of more than $100 million in K-12 programmatic funding in question for Idaho:
• $6.5 million for 21st Century Community Learning Centers State Grants (ESEA Title IV, Part B)
• $2.24 million for rural education (ESEA Title V, Part B)
• $480,000 for Native American education grants to local educational agencies (ESEA Title VI, Part A-1)
• $9.4 million in impact aid (ESEA Title VII)
• $450,000 for education for homeless children and youths (MVHAA Title VII-B)
• $71.1 million in special education grants to states (IDEA Part B-611)
• $2.4 million in special education preschool grants
• $3.1 million in special education grants for infants and families (IDEA Part C)
• $8.8 million in career and technical education state grants (CTEA Title I)
The state also receives $210.2 million in Pell Grants, which help undergraduate students pay for higher education.
“While the full impact of this transition remains to be seen, your union will continue to advocate for stable, continued funding for critical programs that Idaho students and educators depend on every single day,” said IEA Executive Director Paul Stark. “We will closely watch any legal challenges to the president’s order, which we hope will be reversed.”
If you have a story about how Trump’s executive order affects your classroom or students, please email Julie Sarasqueta at jsarasqueta@idahoea.org.
