Will Trump Abolish the Department of Education? Expert Weighs In

Abolishing the Department of Education

• 🎯 President Trump intends to eliminate the Department of Education and return educational control to the state and local levels.
• 💡 The goal is to empower local school boards, governors, teachers, and parents to have more say in children's education, fostering teacher innovation.
• 🔑 Legislation will be required to abolish the department, but steps are already being taken to redirect funds and encourage flexibility.

School Choice and Parent-Directed Funding

• 🚀 The Department of Education is working to push grant monies down to states with more flexibility for parent-directed funding of programs like Title One and IDEA.
• 💰 States are accountable to voters for how these funds are allocated, regardless of political leaning.
• 📈 School choice migration is increasing, with states like Florida offering significant per-student funding for private school enrollment.
• ✅ Florida has seen over 500,000 students participate in its school choice program, with nearly 400,000 applications for the upcoming fall.

Expansion of School Choice Programs

• 🌟 Thirteen states have adopted universal school choice, with others offering similar programs; Texas is set to implement a large program with over a billion dollars.
• 💡 The popularity of school choice is high, though awareness among parents and the need for more private school capacity are factors limiting even greater expansion.
• 💸 When a student moves to a private school via school choice, the allocated funds follow the student, impacting public school funding.

Student Loans and the Small Business Administration

• ⚠️ The student loan situation is described as a "total mess," with one in five borrowers 90 days or more past due.
• 🏦 The idea of the Small Business Administration (SBA) handling student loans is being explored, leveraging its existing loan portfolio management structure.
• 🤝 The SBA's model, which involves government backing for private lenders, could offer more flexible terms for student loans and encourage private sector involvement.
• 📈 Government involvement in student loans is seen as a contributor to inflation in college rates, necessitating a fix involving private lenders and potentially the Treasury or SBA instead of the Department of Education.