The Returning Education to Our States Act was proposed to the Senate last November. As Americans anxiously wait for the outcome of the Bill, they weigh the potential consequences of dismantling the Department of Education.
These are the words of Chisholm Trail Middle School art teacher, Heather Vallad. Vallad is a mother of three students, two of which currently attend Olathe West.
Many Americans share this sentiment when faced with the facts of Senate Bill S.5384 Returning Education to Our States Act, introduced by Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD). In the heart of Johnson County, this bill has the potential to change how teachers teach and students learn.
First, it’s important to understand what the bill would entail if passed. There are two proposed transfers of power that are causing great debate on Capitol Hill, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Federal Pell Grant.
Congress.gov states that “the bill transfers from ED to the Department of Health and Human Services (1) all functions, programs, and authorities of ED under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and (2) each Impact Aid program.” The website also provides a list of federal loan and grant programs currently overseen by the Department of Education, which would be delegated to the Department of the Treasury 180 days following enactment.
Overall, the bill entails significant federal employee cuts and moves as all programs omitted from the bill would be abolished along with the Department of Education itself. Supporters of the bill note the need for an improved allocation of funds away from education on the federal level while advocating for a larger role of the State Department of Education in local schools. Opposition often stresses the importance of DEI and current policies enforced by the DOE that promote equity in schools. Ideologically, it is a conflict between federalism and the freedom of faction.
Logistically, however, its uncertainties pose a significant challenge for the community, especially our district officials.
Dr. Brent Yeager has served as Olathe Public Schools’ superintendent since 2021, overseeing budget allocations and district-wide initiatives since his appointment. Dr. Yeager expands on the role of the Department of Education in three key legislative areas, the first of which is student loan forgiveness and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
“We have teachers that work…in what we call a Title I school, which tend to be our schools with higher poverty. They get some loan forgiveness because they work and do a certain number of years in one of those schools. We’re not paying back those loans as a school system, but they’re forgiven through the Department of Education. With change in that, there could be some changes in how that’s facilitated–how that forgiveness takes place–and that would impact a good number of our employees,” Dr. Yeager said.
According to the ESEA Network, Title I “provides resources to schools to enable students to reach proficiency as determined by the assessment of state standards in reading and math.”
The Congressional Research Service reported that the Title I-A program was funded at $17.5 billion in 2022. If the allocation of these funds were left to other departments, such as the Department of the Treasury, we would lose the professional experience and expertise contributed to our federal government by our educators. In 2022, Kansas alone had 37,885 public school primary and secondary teachers. This excludes support staff like audiologists and speech pathologists. They all may lose representation if both Houses pass the bill.
Aside from representation, teachers in the Olathe community are worried about support staff and losing their significant contributions to classroom efficiency and inclusivity.
Vallad sat down for an interview during her plan period following one of her art classes.
“Just my last hour that I had here, I had three students that needed paras. I had two paras in here for three students. Without them, I’m not able to teach to my best ability because I’m having to spend a lot of time one-on-one with them, which I love to do, however, I have 20 other kids that I have to teach, right?…if they go away, like I said, it’s going to put way more pressure on teachers. It’s not fair for those students,” Vallad said.
Olathe teachers understand the importance of support staff– all Olatheans should– which is why Dr. Yeager called to attention another important factor in the availability of these support systems.
“I don’t think we probably have jobs that are at risk to be honest— I think one of the things that is good about our school district is we have a lot of really good processes in place, and I’m confident that we’re going to continue to do the right thing by kids,” Dr. Yeager said.
Support from paraeducators, special educators, counselors, and specialists are currently federally regulated under the DOE, meaning if it is abolished, those regulations will exist at the discretion of the State Department of Education.
“About 30% of our students are kind of the word that we use as transient–it doesn’t really mean they’re that transient–but [it means they] come to us from somewhere else or leave, come back, that kind of thing. Right now, because of the national expectations of the Department of Education, the service models look fairly similar. But if there was nobody holding everybody…accountable for a certain level, I think that could be a challenge for students, especially those who aren’t in the same school district year after year and receiving the same kind of support,” Dr. Yeager said.
As mentioned previously, the bill would greatly influence how IDEA policy would be enforced.
“[IDEA policy is] where a lot of the guidance and the expectations that we have as a school system come directly from. So, you know, we’re not exactly sure where that would go or what that would look like,” Dr. Yeager said. “And that impacts, for our district, about 7,000 kids who are under that special education umbrella and another about 1,500 staff members. So that world is certainly one that could be impacted pretty considerably, if you will, if the Department of Education were to go away. I don’t know exactly how, though, which is the challenge.”
IDEA policy ensures that students with different abilities receive quality education and supports early intervention programs for infants. Many are concerned with how the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee this massive undertaking.
Two sides of the bill consist of improved state power over education and the adverse effect of putting more executive responsibilities on the desks of other department offices. The implications of labor are part of the reason why the bill has not passed yet.
Among the civil rights laws that the DOE oversees, Title IX is one of the most significant. S.5384 will specifically delegate enforcing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice. The DOJ’s ability to carry out the executive responsibilities entailed by these policies is debatable as they lose the education pretext necessary to enforce such legislation properly, but the DOJ often handles matters of civil rights enough to be well vested in the subject.
Generally speaking, the Returning Education to Our States Act is a highly controversial piece of legislation, especially in the wake of a heavily debated second Trump term. The Department of Education oversees the distribution of billions of dollars to millions of students nationally and thousands just in USD 233. The Bill’s passing would result in a plethora of administrative changes in Federal and State Capitols. The Returning Education to Our States Act is aptly named, since it cuts federal dollars going to the states, leaving them to cover the funding gap. This begs the question: Is it really about the kids?
