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School officials warn Trump’s plan for U.S. education dept. would come with costs

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School officials warn Trump’s plan for U.S. education dept. would come with costs

By Nikita Biryukov
School officials warn Trump’s plan for U.S. education dept. would come with costs
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Donald Trump has pledged to close the Department of Education to push education oversight back to states, redoubling a GOP pledge that dates back to Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential bid. (Courtesy of the New Jersey Governor's Office)

Education advocates and school administrators are warning that New Jersey could face disruptive losses of federal funding that would force stops to post-pandemic tutoring, mental health services, and free or reduced school lunch programs if President Donald Trump follows through on a campaign promise to shutter the U.S. Department of Education.

Witnesses told members of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools Tuesday that the department’s dissolution would deprive New Jersey’s elementary and secondary schools of more than $1.1 billion in annual federal aid, much of which is aimed at the state’s neediest students.

“Many of these programs would disappear since they’re not supported by our local budget,” said Manville Superintendent Jamil Maroun. “The continued availability of these funds remain vital, as their absence would significantly impact our ability to sustain crucial education services and supports for our students.”

Among numerous other things, the department administers free and reduced lunch and breakfast programs.

Witnesses feared those programs would disappear along with the Department of Education, depriving nutrition to low-income students who already face achievement gaps. They said the lack of a healthy diet could leave those students even further behind.

“Our free and reduced lunch gives our children their guaranteed meal of the day,” said Trenton Assistant Superintendent Hope Grant. “Without universal free and reduced lunch, without those federal dollars ensuring children have breakfast and lunch for free, without those dollars, we are now saying that your ability to have breakfast and lunch is a privilege.”

The elimination of post-pandemic tutoring programs funded largely by federal dollars could cement learning loss incurred during the COVID-19 crisis, others warned.

Such high-impact tutoring programs target children in grades three and four and have been effective at accelerating learning and bridging learning gaps incurred by the pandemic, school administrators told lawmakers.

Students of those ages were just entering the school system as the pandemic began in March 2020 and have experienced significant learning loss alongside socialization issues stemming from remote schooling and increased time in the home during the pandemic.

“Without these programs, disparities in academic achievement would likely grow,” said Manville Assistant Superintendent Kelli Eppley.

Funds from the same federal source helped pay for the district’s summer instruction, which can help catch students up to their peers and ensure certain students continue to receive free or reduced meals outside of the regular school year.

The loss of funds from federal Perkins Grants, which fund career and technical education programs, could close off career paths for some students, said Jackie Burke, executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.

Among other things, the grants fund the purchase of modern equipment — like welding machines, industrial ovens, and virtual reality modules — to teach would-be tradesmen, and their absence could leave students ill-prepared to enter the workforce, Burke said.

“Loss of this aid does not solely affect the schools. It would also be detrimental to the many businesses and employers who rely on the education and technical training our students receive to fill positions that allow them to continue to grow,” she said.

Grant programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that help schools and families pay for some expenses related to a child’s developmental disability could also be eliminated or fractured by the department’s sunsetting, said Julie Borst, executive director of Save Our Schools.

On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to close the Department of Education to push education oversight back to states, redoubling a Republican pledge that dates back to Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential bid but has so far gone unfulfilled. 

New Jersey lawmakers are taking the threat seriously despite the failure of past efforts to eliminate federal education oversight, pointing to a series of executive orders Trump issued shortly after being sworn into office Monday.

“I think it’s safe to say the administration yesterday made it very clear that if they made comments, they’re certainly going to try to fulfill those promises,” said Sen. Joe Cryan (D-Union), the panel’s Senate co-chair. “That was, I think, quite clear from the movements yesterday.”