As some D.C.-area school systems work to craft and approve budgets for the next fiscal year, they鈥檙e also planning for the possibility of changes in Department of Education funding and oversight.
President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of closing the federal Education Department, and the White House is working to craft an executive order that would direct the education secretary to make major changes to the agency, and urge Congress to pass legislation closing it entirely.
While Trump hasn鈥檛 yet signed the order, The Associated Press reported he鈥檚 expected to give the education secretary a deadline for crafting a plan to scale the agency back.
Meanwhile, in Prince William County, Virginia鈥檚 second-largest school system, School Board Chairman Babur Lateef said as part of their budget work, 鈥淲e will make budgetary decisions based on what the federal government does, if they do cut funding.鈥�
However, Lateef, who鈥檚 running for lieutenant governor, said a lot of the money that鈥檚 allocated to local divisions is determined by laws.
鈥淭he president can’t do an executive order changing a law, so that money has to come, whether it comes through Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, or some other agency,鈥� Lateef said. 鈥淔or example, money for food at schools still has to come to school.鈥�
The federal Education Department, Lateef said, is largely responsible for overseeing funding for school meals and special education. It also creates the standards for individualized education plans for special education students.
鈥淭hey’ve never provided the funding that they said they would provide, but that is still a sizable amount of money that they do provide,鈥� said David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers. 鈥淪o if that money disappears, that’s going to have an effect on special education programs and school districts in general, all across the country.鈥�
The agency is tasked with making sure school districts are in compliance with all special education requirements, 鈥渟o there鈥檒l be a lack of that function of oversight,” Lateef said.
Because laws establish special education funding, Lateef said if federal changes are made, the school division 鈥渨ould have to take money from other buckets, other programs, to fund those programs.鈥�
Generally, the federal government contributes about 10% of a school system鈥檚 overall funding, but the amount鈥檚 been decreasing each year, Lateef said.
鈥淲e’re less reliant on the federal government dollars, but they are essential for special education and food programs,鈥� he said.
The Education Department gives extra funding to Title I schools 鈥� those with higher populations of students eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. If that money disappeared, Walrod said, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 going to be another source of difficulty.鈥�
鈥淭hat would be pretty devastating for not just Fairfax County, not just Northern Virginia districts, that would be devastating for every school district across the country,鈥� Walrod said.
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