State superintendent among Michigan advocates condemning Trump threat to ax Dept. of Education
Michigan State School Superintendent Michael Rice discussing President Trump's expected executive order to shut down the U.S. Department of Education. 2/10/25. Screenshot
A coalition of Michigan educators, elected officials, social justice organizations, and student advocates are laying out the ramifications of President Donald Trump's planned executive order seeking to shut down the U.S. Department of Education.
A virtual press conference Monday, hosted by education advocacy groups, the Michigan Education Justice Coalition and 482Forward, featured state Rep. Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park) and Michigan State School Superintendent Michael Rice as they discussed preparations being taken to protect students from what is being termed as a 'dismantling' of public education.
Weiss, who was previously a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools, noted that the federal government currently provides over $2 billion to Michigan for education and if that funding were drastically cut or curtailed, many of the critical services currently being provided to children would be at serious risk of elimination.
'Our schools are already underfunded here in Michigan, with many districts struggling to retain talented educators or maintain basic infrastructure repairs or improvements,' said Weiss. 'The federal government honestly has historically underfunded states in providing, for example, special education services through the IDEA Act.'
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act lays out how states and public agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, are to provide special education and related services to more than 8 million eligible children with disabilities.
'The federal promise was always to fund states at a 40% level, and currently the funding is right around 10%, and while that is not adequate, we are concerned about what may happen to that level of funding moving forward, and we've already seen a lot of the chaos that has ensued around the federal spending freeze order,' said Weiss.
Rice said that while the threat to close the department is more of a bluff than reality, noting that it would require an act of Congress and need a two-thirds supermajority vote to pass, he said it does signal that the Trump Administration plans to use education funding as a political football, with students on the losing side.
'The issue will be that the President, in his assault on the U.S. Department of Education, is in fact threatening the programs and protections of our children, and by extension, our children themselves,' said Rice. 'Trump wants to control who is served and what is taught.'
Rachelle Crow-Hutcher, co-director at the Michigan Education Justice Coalition, is the mother of two children in Utica Community Schools, both of whom she said have received special education services for speech delays.
'Both of my children are flourishing because of the special education speech intervention they received from their public schools,' she said. 'There are children across Michigan and across the country that need that little bit of extra help to be their best selves.'
Crow-Hutcher said she has heard from parents across the state whose children receive special education services, and they have expressed fears of what will happen to those services if Trump's plan proceeds.
'My concern continues to be for the civil rights of all children that are protected by the Department of Education. My concern is that without funding, special education services will cease to exist for families like mine,' she said.
In addition to supplementing state funding and providing oversight on educating students with disabilities, the department also protects students' civil rights, including through Title IX, which protects people from discrimination based on sex in school programs that receive federal funding.
'If our institutions and our leaders do not stand up to this, I promise you, it will not end at transgender people,' said Emme Zanotti, director of advocacy and civic engagement at Equality Michigan. 'We are setting a precedent that one person, unilaterally, has the authority to decide who deserves employment, who deserves an education, and who deserves health care. If we cement that precedent, it is the end of independent public education, it is the end of civil liberties, it is the end of freedom of speech, and it is the end of this institution we call democracy.'
Another concern expressed during Monday's press conference was that the move to dismantle the Department of Education would not only more easily allow public tax dollars to go toward private and religious schools, but also concentrate those dollars away from the public districts that most need them.
'It is crucial, especially in light of national funding cuts, that we secure what is needed for our babies to be successful. Studies show that an inadequate educational system can lead to higher crime rates, among other negative impacts on our most vulnerable communities. We must ensure that students have access to quality education and resources, for the future of our city, state and country,' said Monet Harris, an organizer with 482forward and parent of a Detroit high school student.
Rep. Weiss also pointed to Trump's executive order titled 'Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,' which calls for prohibiting funding to public schools that teach curriculum determined to be 'discriminatory equity ideology' while instead ordering districts to 'promote patriotic education'.
'I'm a former history teacher [and] social studies teacher from Detroit, and when I read that executive order, it actually made me cry because I taught U.S. history, and I don't know how you teach U.S. history and follow what this executive order is saying to do,' said Weiss.
She said the order essentially tries to 'whitewash' American history and ignore the 'different diverse tapestry and backgrounds that are not just about teaching African American history or Asian American history or women's history, but about teaching history, period.'
'I don't know how you do that if you follow this executive order,' said Weiss, who believes it's true purpose was 'political posturing and creating fear.' That her concerned about attempts to limit potential future federal funding for districts attempting to teach a curriculum that has already been adopted by every single school district in the state.
The Michigan Education Justice Coalition said they have gathered over 60 school board signatures on a letter demanding protection for the Department of Education, which they plan on delivering to U.S. Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.), Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham), and Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), who sit on the House Committee on Education & the Workforce.
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