26-03-2025
Concerned citizens rally in Tamaqua for public education
TAMAQUA — Concerned by President Donald Trump's plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a group of Schuylkill County residents gathered Wednesday in downtown Tamaqua to support public education.
About 15 people gathered outside the Tamaqua Area School District's administrative office to show their support for the students, schools and programs that benefit from federal funding. Many held up signs protesting against the order, with some referencing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump's order calling for the dismantling of the DOE, which advanced last week, suggests dire consequences for schools across the country, including those in rural Schuylkill County, demonstrators said.
Claire Kempes, of Pottsville, said the following groups would suffer if the agency were cut: low-income schools, rural districts with limited tax bases, students with disabilities, immigrant students, nonnative-English learners, and students who rely on advocates to be their voice.
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Protesters rally in support of public education outside the Tamaqua Area School District Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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A peaceful rally was held Wednesday in Tamaqua to support public education. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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About 15 people protested the proposed cuts to the federal Department of Education outside the Tamaqua Area School District building Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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A driver calls out in support of a rally in support of public education outside the Tamaqua Area School district building on W. Broad St. in Tamaqua, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Protesters rally in support of public education, as seen in a window's reflection, outside the Tamaqua Area School district building on W. Broad St. in Tamaqua, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Holding signs reading 'Public Education First,' people rally in favor of public education outside the Tamaqua Area School District in Tamaqua, Wednesday. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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A man approaches public education supporters telling them they are incorrect about DOGE cuts while outside the Tamaqua Area School district building on W. Broad St. in Tamaqua, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Protesters rally in support of public education outside the Tamaqua Area School district building on W. Broad St. in Tamaqua, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Protesters in support of public education wave signs as drivers pass near the Tamaqua Area School district building on W. Broad St. in Tamaqua, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Protesters rally in support of public education outside the Tamaqua Area School District Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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A retired schoolteacher, Kempes is concerned about how the federal money would be distributed at the state and local levels to support the programs that relied on federal funding, such as Title I and special education programs.
'The states already have control over their school systems,' Kempes said. 'So, we're gonna give (the funding) back to the states, and so all the programs that are now covered by the Department of Education and federal money, who's going to pay for that? Can people actually afford it if they give it to the states?'
Kempes believes that the president's move to shut down the agency was motivated by 'shrinking opportunity and protections for children … and letting kids fall through the cracks, on purpose,' and not by an effort to reduce government and cede control to the states, as proponents have said.
'Title I, rural schools, kids who are disadvantaged, non-English-speaking students, students with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs), all of that is covered by federal money,' Kempes said.
'I just don't think people understand,' she continued. 'Not that we don't need to make sure that it's efficient and put checks and balances on it — we absolutely do — but the way they are going about it, that's not going to fix it. It's just going to make it worse.'
Trump said his executive order would 'begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all,' although Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has acknowledged that the agency cannot be closed without the approval of Congress. Because Congress created the department in 1979, removing it would also likely require an act of Congress.
Student loan availability, access to college
Among the people who participated in the rally was 17-year-old Ava Miller, a homeschooled student from Orwigsburg who is dual-enrolled at Lehigh Carbon Community College.
Miller, who hopes to attend art school in the fall, said she turned out to show her support since education is 'really important' to her, and she believes that many people would lose educational opportunities if the agency were cut or reduced.
'I'm going to be going to college soon,' she said, 'and student loans are going to be affected, too, so probably a lot of people won't be able to go to college. I don't even know how student loans are going to affect me.'
Another demonstrator, Jerry Pritchett, of Pottsville, attended the event to show how he, and many others, are indebted to the public education system.
A 20-year U.S. Army veteran, Pritchett is proud of his schooling experience and wants others to receive the same opportunities that he had. He said that cuts to the DOE would hurt students 'with the highest level of need' and result in increased taxes, among other things.
Literacy and socialization will suffer
'Services will be gone,' he said, 'and the result of that is that children won't be able to read at a level for them to function in society. And everything else that comes along with public education — fluency in language, socialization.'
After retiring from a career at the Department of Corrections, Pritchett earned a teaching certificate and worked as a substitute teacher for 15 years, mostly in the Tri-Valley School District.
'If the Department of Education goes away, like our leader has intended he wants it to, all of society is going to suffer,' Prichett added. 'I really believe that. … I don't like to stand by and see our democracy pulled apart brick by brick. I spent the greater part of my life defending this country, and I feel like I'm defending it now.'
Impact on LGBTQ, DEI programs
Evan Evans, of Lake Hauto, said he would be disheartened by a lack of steady funding for disadvantaged students. He is also concerned about the implications for measures supporting certain groups, like the LGBTQ community, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
'Those programs are there for a reason, and we need to continue them to help people with different backgrounds,' said Evans, 82. '… I want to fight for their rights, my grandkids' rights. It's important to me that the culture progresses, instead of going backwards.'
The rally, which occurred at midday, was not organized by a specific group or organization. The demonstrators plan to hold similar pop-up events addressing different issues in the coming weeks, they said.
