WASHINGTON – The governor of Texas and other statewide officials joined President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday and signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. While major Texan Republicans are taking part in the president’s decision, some unions and supporters have warned that the most vulnerable Texan students will be hurt.
“We want to bring students back to a state where only a portion of the governors here are very pleased with this,” Trump said. “They want education to come back to them and come back to America, and they’re going to do an incredible job.”
One of those governors on hand for the president’s executive order on Thursday was Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Abbott, Lt. Col. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are among Republican leaders across the country and have witnessed President Trump following the promise of a campaign to dissolve the Department of Education.
“What do you think about that, governor? Do you agree?” Trump told Abbott, but the Texas governor raised two thumbs.
“What we can do is receive resources and funds coming from the federal government, and focus on truly educating our children and improving our scores on topics like mathematics and science,” Abbott said shortly after the ceremony.
But the Texas leader’s visit to the White House sparked acute criticism.
“Why are we celebrating the fact that thousands of colleagues are unemployed in our state, two executives, my agency and other agencies in the federal government?”
Coleman, originally from North Texas, was an attorney for the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office in Dallas. Coleman was fired.
She said vulnerable Texan students are worried that no one can guarantee that they will not be discriminated against.
“No one wants to be without work. I mean, I think you know, and I think everyone can understand that. But I have to say that my deepest concern is what this means to students in our country,” Coleman said.
“What scares me is that there are students who need reasonable accommodations like additional test take time, and that they may not get it, and that the child doesn’t get it and that complaint doesn’t get it in our office and that the student needs to succeed in the classroom. This is horrifying.”
The executive order does not completely eliminate the education sector, as only Congress can do it. However, the order calls for many of the agents to be disassembled.
Most of the funding provided by DOE to Texas supports low-income school districts and students with disabilities.
“The value and contribution of funds flowing from the federal government have really been focused on supporting that group of individuals. I think you know that putting those resources into focus is leading to truly positive outcomes in the short and long term, for all the right reasons.
Republicans say much of that money is still being provided, but it is not yet clear how grants will be managed and monitored.
“What’s going on in the school curriculum is driven by state decisions. While the majority of funding comes from the state and local levels, what we know is that it’s important that checks and balance resources (all three) to ultimately help the school provide the best service to its students,” Horn said.
Abbott, a former Texas Attorney General, believes Trump has the authority to reduce the role of the Department of Education. At least one union, the American Federation of Teachers, has vowed to bring the president to court.
