Redding teacher raises alarm over impact of federal cuts on special education services

REDDING, Calif. — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, following significant layoffs announced last week that cut about half of its workforce. Concerns have arisen over the potential impact on special education programs, which rely heavily on federal funding.

Vicki Ono, a classroom teacher for Redding School district has been assisting in the special education department and expressed worry about the future of these programs. "The Department of Education might be shattered," Ono said. "There's a lot of worry about how we’re going to meet the needs of all our students."

The dismantling of the department has also raised concerns about federal funding for Title 1, financial aid, student loans, Pell Grants, and the enforcement of civil rights laws. However, Trump's press secretary assured that these programs will remain operational. "The President's executive order directly ordered Linda McCahan to greatly minimize the agency," the press secretary said. "So when it comes to student loans and Pell Grants, those will still be run under the Department of Education."

President Trump emphasized a shift in educational responsibility to local jurisdictions. "We're going to be returning education very simply back to the states," he said.

Ono noted that much of the educational responsibility already lies with the states. "Most of the power of education is made by the states," she said. "The curriculum decisions are made by the states the additional funding that’s needed to support students, a lot of that has come from the Department of Education."

Ono is confused why Trump is cutting the department of education which is one of the smallest departments in the federal government. "The Department of Education is only like 2/10 of a percent of the federal employee force," Ono said. "So they’re not gonna save a lot of money, but the office of civil rights and making sure that special education services were implemented nationwide, trying to make sure that we properly educate people of color and also women who were not getting the education that they needed, was one of the reasons they founded the department of education. To me, it sounds more like a political act than a financial necessity."