The oversight of education is being returned from federal control to the states as the Department of Education continues to be disassembled. In the White House’s Fact Sheet, President Trump aims to empower states, local communities, and parents to improve educational outcomes.
“I want every parent in America to be empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice. The time for universal school choice has come. As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right.”
President Trump’s Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities Executive Order declared, “Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them,” and improve program implementation in higher education.
Since then, the administration has been working to redistribute Department of Education functions through interagency agreements because legally closing the Department of Education requires congressional approval.
The Supreme Court has recently allowed the Trump Administration to continue with plans to reduce the Department’s workforce. The White House argues that since the Department of Education’s establishment in 1979, more than $3 trillion has been spent, but the standardized National Assessment of Educational Progress scores have not improved and both math and reading scores remain low in public schools.
Based on the Department of Education’s press release on March 20, 2025, Education Secretary Linda McMahon elaborated on the Department’s closure, stating that essential funding would not be cut off, which supports K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on these services. Rather, the associated programs would be transitioned to these other proposed areas:
- $1.7 trillion student loan debt portfolio – U.S. Department of Treasury
- Career and workforce interagency agreements, K-12 program administration – U.S. Department of Labor
- Special needs and disability-related family and school support program administration – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- International education – U.S. Department of State
- Tribal and Indigenous education – U.S. Department of the Interior
- Civil Rights enforcement – U.S. Department of Justice
This decentralization through interagency redistribution means that while the Department of Education would legally still exist, it would eventually become an empty shell. These plans align with the Administration’s desire to shift more authority and control to the states, parents, and communities.
The Department of Education also announced plans to relocate out of the Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters building in Washington, D.C., saving $4.8 million annually on space that is 70 percent vacant. The Department of Energy will take its place.
Potential Impact for Military-Connected Students
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) falls under the Department of Defense, not the Department of Education, and therefore is not operationally impacted by the restructuring. These schools are federally funded and operate on military bases worldwide.
Military-connected students attending civilian public schools that receive Impact Aid could potentially be affected if the Department of Education’s ongoing restructuring includes this program. The federal Impact Aid program currently funds school districts with less property tax revenue due to federal property like military bases. Impact Aid continues to operate under the Department of Education at this time.
Other areas of potential impact would include military families affected by the pace of change with special education programs and services, as well as student loan programs, due to responsibilities transferring to other agencies.
Overall, while DoDEA maintains stability, military-connected students may “feel” the weight of interagency coordination and changes that disrupt the continuity of support. The reduction of the federal workforce and its redistribution of functions across agencies continues to build pressure. It remains to be seen if closing the Department of Education and empowering states, local communities, and parents instead will improve educational outcomes.
