President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Thursday that aims to dismantle the U. S. Department of Education while keeping its core functions. As a response, proponents and opponents of the decision have released a lot of rhetoric, and as is often the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Democrats are decrying the decision, with some officials suggesting that Virginia schools will lose billions in funding. That is not the case, however. The shuttering of the department will not have any immediate impact on the funding of Virginia’s schools.
The state government, on average, funds 89-90% of public education in Virginia. This is why activist groups that are pushing for more school funding advocate with state legislators at the Capitol, not with members of Congress.
Additionally, the Department of Education does not appropriate funding—Congress does. The department handles the disbursement.
The president cannot stop funds that Congress has allocated to states, as Congress controls the purse strings of the federal government.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that core functions will continue.
“Trump cannot unilaterally stop the distribution of congressionally mandated federal education funds, like Title I funds that go to schools with high percentages of low-income students, or funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that support special education services. The Trump administration said the department will continue to carry out core functions such as administering Pell grants and student loans.”
Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras provided clarity to families in a statement Thursday.
“To be clear, the Department of Education does not set funding levels for programs like Title I or IDEA,” he wrote. “Congress does that. The Department of Ed distributes the money. So far, we have not seen anything suggesting the Department will hinder the disbursement of those funds. We will watch this closely, as we believe that any action attempting to do so would be unconstitutional, and we would strenuously fight it.”
While funds are still required to be dispersed to the states, Kamras expressed concerns in a statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch over a potential delay in the federal funding.
“I do worry that they could do things to perhaps slow the disbursement of those funds, which would, of course, be highly detrimental to school systems across the country, but certainly places like RPS, where Title I is really important, and of course, support for (students with disabilities) is really important.”
While the department does not provide funding for education, it does have core responsibilities that Democrats fear will be left behind.
One of the biggest tasks that the Department of Education is responsible for is to investigate civil rights violations in schools. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that there are currently 575 open investigations into Virginia schools.
The Office of Civil Rights, which investigates civil rights violations, will remain, but 243 staff members were fired.
Ensuring the rights of students are not violated could now essentially be left up to the states with a diminished OCR, which could vary depending on geography and the political climate.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a statement on Thursday applauding Trump’s decision.
“We welcome the federal government’s shift of responsibility to the states—and we are grateful that President Trump’s executive order does just that,” he wrote. “The EO also makes it clear that there will be no discrimination in the classrooms. We will continue to ensure every student graduates career-, college-, or military-ready.”
The remaining OCR staff seems to be focused on Trump’s political priorities.
Since Trump took office, the department has used the Office of Civil Rights using Title VI to try to stop colleges and universities from giving preferential admittance to minorities — also known as affirmative action.
The department recently announced that it was investigating 45 colleges and universities and “reiterated schools’ civil rights obligations to end the use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.”
The OCR also launched an investigation in February against educational institutions that allow transgender women to play in women’s sports.
“President Trump’s Executive Order ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ is a promise to women and girls: this administration will not tolerate the mistreatment of female athletes,” the department said in a press release. “The Department is taking swift action to investigate three entities for suspected Title IX violations: San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.”
As for public school violations, Kamras says RPS will try to ensure the OCR does its job.
“We will also keep our eye on federal civil-rights enforcement in our schools, which we believe is a necessary and constitutionally-required protection for students and staff alike,” he wrote.
Virginia’s members of Congress pushed back on the decision Thursday.
Despite providing no evidence, Sen. Tim Kaine stated that the decision will cut critical funding to Virginia’s K-12 schools. He also called for more funding for public schools.
Congress would have to approve the full abolishment of the department.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-VA01, pushed for decisions like eliminating the department to be handled legislatively. He said in a statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch last week that these decisions “must be thoroughly examined through the legislative process in Congress, where representatives can debate and vote on these significant issues.”
Andy Rotherham, a member of the Virginia State Board of Education who was appointed by Youngkin, provided commentary Thursday, stating that he does not expect Congress to go along with Trump on abolishment of the department.
“First, despite some state-level support, the reality remains: there are not 60 votes in the Senate to abolish the Department—possibly not even 50,” he wrote his newsletter Thursday. “The closer we get to the 2026 election, the harder it becomes to hit 218 in the House. It’s a symbolic issue that some elected officials are eager to grab onto, while most would prefer it go away—the issue, not the agency. Smart Republicans understand this plays well with the base, but it’s not their strongest move on the education opportunity they’ve been handed.”