Dismantling Education

One of the most concerning steps taken in recent weeks by the Trump/Musk administration has been the dismantling of the US Department of Education (Department). Although they do not have authority to shut down the Department (that authority resides with Congress), Trump and Musk have effectively harmed our education system in this country by cutting the Department’s workforce in half and by especially targeting key divisions.

Prior to the start of this administration, the Department had 4,133 employees. In early March, more than 1,300 workers were summarily told their positions were eliminated. Additionally, nearly 600 chose to leave, either by resigning or retiring. With a staff cut in half, the Department is struggling to serve the approximately 50 million students who attend over 98,000 public and 32,000 private schools. The Department also provides federal financial aid and loan services to over 12 million students enrolled in colleges and universities.

The recent reduction of the U.S. Department of Education's workforce by nearly 50%—from approximately 4,100 to 2,180 employees—has significant implications for Virginia's schools and colleges. This downsizing, part of broader efforts to dismantle the department, threatens to disrupt essential federal education programs that support K–12 education and higher learning across the state.

What are the Immediate Impacts on Virginia's Schools?

Over the past several years and under Democratic leadership, the General Assembly has focused on supporting and funding our schools which have been significantly underfunded since the 2008 recession. This progress will now face renewed challenges because of federal cuts, especially in key areas:

Title I Funding: Approximately $327 million allocated to support low-income students is at risk, which could lead to the loss of a significant number of teaching positions in Virginia
IDEA Funding: Around $387 million designated for special education services could be eliminated, jeopardizing services for students with disabilities and also result in the loss of teaching positions
English Learner Support: A loss of $17.5 million in funding and additional potential impacts on teaching positions
Rural and Low-Income Schools Program: Around $2.6 million is at risk
Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Workforce Development: Around $49.5 million in funding is at risk, impacting positions and programs that help prepare students for careers and higher education.

These cuts could result in the loss of an estimated 8,950 K–12 teacher jobs statewide, disproportionately affecting Virginia’s most vulnerable students, including those from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, and children in rural communities.

This past Session, anticipating the potential cuts to education by Trump/Musk and in an effort to address the historic underfunding in the Commonwealth, I introduced a budget amendment to fund these key areas of public education.

While the final budget delivered by the General Assembly did not include this full level of funding, it did move aggressively to lift the cap on support personnel and to better fund the school divisions serving targeted student populations. However, the governor’s actions on the budget bill cut this funding significantly. We now await his response to the amendments that we returned to him following the Reconvened Session. Knowing that significant federal funding cuts and slashes to essential programming are coming, I urge the governor to take the necessary actions to protect Virginia’s education systems.

What Challenges do the Trump/Musk Actions pose for Higher Education?

The dismantling of the Department also presents significant challenges to Virginia's colleges and universities:

Pell Grants and Student Loans: The Office of Federal Student Aid, which manages federal student loans and inquiries, experienced significant cuts, with at least 300 employees dismissed. This reduction will lead to disruptions to the delivery and services of federal financial aid.
TRIO Programs: TRIO programs assist low-income students and those less likely to go to college attain a degree, and they face significant disruptions to the delivery of the programs at Virginia’s colleges and universities.
Career and Technical Education (CTE): Staffing cuts in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education will likely undermine programs essential for building our workforce, expanding career pathways, and strengthening the work of community colleges.

Additional impacts that we have already begun to see across Virginia’s institutions are the federal freeze on major research grants and programs that are the hallmark of our universities’ graduate school programs, as well as impacts on our international student populations. In an upcoming newsletter, I will highlight these additional areas of concern.

Beyond funding and staffing, the reduction in the Department's workforce raises concerns about the ability to enforce civil rights protections and maintain accountability in education. The Virginia Education Association warns that dismantling the Department of Education will likely strip essential funding from students and eliminate thousands of teacher jobs across the Commonwealth. I will be doing all that I can to focus on state-level responses to these impacts triggered by the Trump/Musk administration.