A much anticipated executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the federal Department of Education was signed Thursday. The president’s order comes after years of pledging to dismantle the department on the campaign trail and doubling down on the sentiment — including in his fir st speech — after taking office in January and regularly since.  In the order Thursday, Trump called the federal Department of Education “a public relations office” and said that its closure would “provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them.” “The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars — and the unaccountable bureaucracy those programs and dollars support — has plainly failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” the order read. “Ultimately, the Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the States.” The order calls on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education … to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, … while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” In a statement, McMahon called the action “history making,” and said that the order would “free future generations of American students and forge opportunities for their success.” “We are sending education back to the states where it so rightly belongs,” said McMahon, who was confirmed as secretary earlier this month. “Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities.” While education is largely funded and administered at the state and local level, the U.S. Department of Education — created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter — has been tasked with providing federal assistance and funding to schools, which includes grants to high-needs communities and additional funding to schools with high concentrations of low-income students (Title I) and multilingual learners (Title III). It also administers student financial aid for students attending college. McMahon, who has several ties to Connecticut, including previously sitting on the state Board of Education and serving on Sacred Heart University’s board of trustees for many years, pledged that the department’s closure would “not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them.” She said the Trump administration will “follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working with Congress and state leaders to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.” But that reassurance meant little to Connecticut leaders who said dismantling the education department would hurt the country’s highest-need students. “The president’s executive order threatens the strength and stability of our public schools by undermining the federal government’s role in supporting education,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in an emailed statement. “Programs like Title I, IDEA, Pell Grants, and Impact Aid are essential to ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education, regardless of their family’s income. These investments help level the playing field, providing critical resources for low-income students, funding mental health and school safety initiatives, and guaranteeing services for students with disabilities.” In a video recording commenting on the order, Kate Dias, union president of the Connecticut Education Association, said: “While the order itself does not actually close the Department of Education, it gives us a strong indication of where this administration is going to go in terms of public education. … It continues to devalue the work that goes on in our public schools, de-emphasize the importance of that work and takes back the obligations and opportunities that oversee and coordinate the efforts of education across this country.” Just over a week ago, the Trump administration announced mass layoffs at the department, cutting the workforce by roughly half. That left states bracing for potential interruptions or cuts to services that support early childhood education all the way up to college. The mass layoffs sparked a lawsuit from nearly two dozen state attorneys general, including Connecticut’s William Tong, who called the effort to dismantle the Department of Education a “reckless assault on our kids and schools across America.” In a statement Thursday, Tong said, “Donald Trump and Linda McMahon say they will just send this money to the states. I don’t believe that for a single second. They have zero plan and no authorization to do that, and they want to get rid of all the people who would be responsible for making that happen. “We know where this money is really going — to billionaire tax breaks and Cybertrucks for diplomats,” Tong added. “The simple truth is they just don’t care what happens to schools and kids and teachers in this country.” As of yet, Connecticut hasn’t seen any disruptions, according to the state Department of Education, but the future is foggy. The immediate fallout will likely be felt the most in the federal offices hit hard by the directive — those that oversee student aid, civil rights complaints and education research and handle the enforcement of those programs. “At a time when we should be investing more resources in our students’ success, President Trump is fully abandoning what’s left of the federal government’s commitment to public education,” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in a written statement Thursday. “This reckless action is a gift to greedy for-profit schools and student loan providers and will have ripple effects for years to come. All across America, students with disabilities, low-income students, and hardworking teachers will be left behind.” U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy shared a similar sentiment, adding that the executive order is “about making it easier to sell our public schools off to the highest bidder.” “The billionaire class is rooting for the destruction of public education because they see your local elementary school as their next target to run for profit. Our kids will pay the price,” Murphy said. Connecticut received about $553 million in federal funding for education during the 2023-2024 school year, according to School and State Finance Project. About half of that funding goes toward Title I and special education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also know as IDEA. “Ending federal funding or eliminating the department does not end our legal obligation to provide services to these children with special education needs,” U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, a former teacher, said. “Two things will happen: either local communities will have to make hard choices about what other resources they must cut to meet their legal obligation to provide services, or local taxes will increase to replace the funding the federal government will no longer be providing to districts.” In a joint-statement Thursday, Connecticut Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff also said the executive order puts the millions of dollars in federal funding for Connecticut schools “in jeopardy.” The pair highlighted concerns about funding for school meals and special education. A representative for Connecticut Senate Republicans did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Patrice McCarthy, the executive director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education also voiced concerns that the federal Department of Education “plays a vital role in supporting the education of Connecticut students,” and she said urban and rural school districts could be hit the hardest. Connecticut as a whole does not get as much federal funding as some others, with only 7% of the state’s total education funding coming from the federal government. But, towns and cities with higher concentrations of low-income students rely more heavily on federal grants. Cities like Waterbury, Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport would be disproportionately affected by a slowdown or reduction to Title I funds. For a district like Waterbury, 22% of its school funding comes from the federal government, with much of it geared toward Title I. “Turning out the lights at the U.S. Department of Education won’t stop the flow of congressionally approved funding this year, but would deal a terrible blow to the coordinated way that local boards of education, and the state of Connecticut support, measure and deliver high-quality education to the students in our public schools,” McCarthy said. Hayes also added that the executive order would “increase disparities and cause the greatest harm to students from low income communities.” “This administration has not provided any plans for moving forward, or next steps for how to provide services to the 49 million students who rely on a public education, absent the department,” Hayes said. CT Mirror reporter Lisa Hagen contributed to this story. ...read more read less