Could Trump’s Department of Education shutdown lead to program cuts for Kansas students?
An order signed Thursday by President Donald Trump to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education has left Kansas school officials waiting to know whether they will have to reduce some student services.
Trump signed the executive order guiding the education secretary to take all steps to close the department and “return authority over education to the States and local communities.”
In a statement released March 21 by the Kansas State Department of Education, the department said it is reviewing the order while awaiting a congressional response.
“For decades, federal support has played a critical role in ensuring equitable access to education, particularly for students with disabilities, those from low-income families, and rural communities,” the press release reads.
“While we have received assurances that funding will not be affected, we do not know yet what impact the elimination of federal oversight will have for programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), and the Higher Education Act (HEA),” the statement continues.
‘So many unknown factors’
When asked about what changes the state department would face if the federal department is closed, Denise Kahler, the communications director for the Kansas State Department of Education, said there are still many questions.
“I’m not sure that’s something anyone can answer definitively because there are so many unknown factors right now,” Kahler wrote in a Thursday email.
If the federal department is closed, there are two possibilities Kahler shared. The first would be Congress moving the federally funded education programs to another agency.
“Many of the programs the US Department of Education administers are older than the department itself. For this reason, if Congress were to abolish the ED, we assume the programs would be assigned to other departments,” Kahler wrote.
She said in that case, while there would be a transition period, the overall impacts to the state department would be minimum.
However, if changes to the programs funded by the education department do occur, that could lead to a reduction in services for Kansas children.
“If Congress takes action to abolish the ED and makes changes to the programs that it funds, there would be significant impacts on schools and students, especially students with the most educational needs,” Kahler wrote.
Programs the state department would be concerned about would be Title I, which provides funding for low-income students, Title III, which provides services for English language learners, and IDEA, the special education program.
“Without increased support from state and local governments, school districts would be forced to reduce services for all students as they adjust to the decrease in available resources,” Kahler explained.
The Eagle asked how much the Kansas State Department of Education gets in federal funding annually and didn’t immediately hear back.
There are more than 280 school districts in Kansas. The largest district in Kansas is Wichita Public Schools, which not only serves the Wichita area, but also Bel Aire and Park City.
History of the US Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education was created by Congress in 1979.
However, the department’s roots can be traced back to 1867, when the first Department of Education was created by President Andrew Johnson. The department was then changed to an office a year later.
Federal funding for education began expanding in the 1950s and eventually led to Congress passing the Department of Education Organization Act in 1979, officially opening the agency in May of 1980.
Trump and Elon Musk, who is heading the new Department of Government Efficiency, have been trying to reduce federal spending. The possible closure of the U.S. Department of Education also follows thousands of layoffs across a number of federal agencies.
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 1:49 PM.
