Washington schools chief blasts 'cruel chaos' of Trump's order to eliminate the Department of Education

Washington state’s top education official is speaking out against President Donald Trump’s long-awaited executive order calling for the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education.

The order, which Trump signed at a White House ceremony Thursday, instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.”

In a statement Thursday, Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal called the order an illegal overreach that, along with mass firings in the department last week, “underscores the President’s disregard for public education and civil rights.”

“What we are seeing in Washington, D.C. is a cruel chaos that has been intentionally designed to promote a school privatization agenda and undo a 60-year commitment to equity and civil rights that lies at the heart of our democratic system,” Reykdal wrote.

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Trump's order also directs McMahon to ensure “the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

While transition details aren’t yet clear, many of those services and programs are codified by laws predating the education department, and experts say they’ll likely be moved to other federal agencies.

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Reykdal said Thursday it’s “not yet clear the extent of the harm that will occur with the dismantling of these important federal programs that work in tandem with my office’s enforcement authority.”

But, he said, the state should be ready to step in and help, especially if public schools lose federal funding. Washington state received $1.4 billion from the federal government for education during the 2023-24 school year, not including Covid relief funds.

While the bulk of K-12 school funding comes from state and local governments, cuts to federal funding could have big consequences, especially as schools across the state grapple with mounting financial challenges. Reykdal has already requested a $3-billion infusion for public education this legislative session for that reason.

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“In Washington state, and states across America, legislators need to be prepared to double down on their public education investments,” he wrote, “as the Department and this administration prepare to walk away from their civil rights obligations and the nearly 250-year commitment to public education that has actually made America great!"

The Department of Education said in a statement that its closure “does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them.”

“We will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs,” the statement reads. “We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”

RELATED: Trump signs executive order aiming to close the Education Department

The Trump administration has blamed what he sees as a bloated bureaucracy for little improvement in student achievement. The White House claimed Thursday the Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion since it was opened “with virtually nothing to show for it.”

“Instead of maintaining the status quo that is failing American students, the Trump Administration’s bold plan will return education where it belongs — with individual states, which are best positioned to administer effective programs and services that benefit their own unique populations and needs,” the White House said.

“Instead of a bloated federal system that burdens schools with regulations and paperwork, the Trump Administration believes states should be empowered to expand educational freedom and opportunity for all families.”

In his statement, Reydal acknowledged that some federal education overreach has been pushed by presidents of both parties over the last 25 years, and said it should be scaled back and returned to the states.

But, Reykdal wrote, “that is a policy deliberation that should happen in Congress, and in partnership with the states themselves — not as part of an unprecedented attempt by a President to wield more authority than is granted by the U.S. Constitution or by federal law.”

The U.S. Department of Education was created as a cabinet-level agency by an act of Congress in 1979. The department was meant to largely serve in an advisory capacity to schools, and more efficiently and effectively operate national education programs.

Republicans — and some Democrats — opposed the creation of the department from the beginning, over fears the federal government would interfere too much in local education issues and inflate an already ballooning democracy.

Today, the department has a broad range of responsibilities but does not control curriculum or policies at local schools or districts. Its overarching goal is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access,” according to its website.

The agency operates the standardized test known as the “nation’s report card,” and collects data on things like enrollment and teacher salary and attrition.

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The department also enforces civil rights laws that bar discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, and other factors in federally funded schools. That enforcement is what Reykdal has said he’s most concerned about if the department is gutted or eliminated entirely. But he’s also expressed confidence that Washington is relatively safe from this threat, because state law goes “above and beyond the federal minimum protections.”

“No order by the President will diminish our state’s obligation or moral imperative to serve and support all students,” he wrote.

Additionally, DOE heads the $1.6 trillion federal student loan program and other grant programs for K-12 schools. The two largest ones are Title I, which provides supplemental funding to schools that serve a high proportion of low-income students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which helps schools cover the costs of serving students who receive special education services.

Trump pledged to “preserve” those funding streams during Thursday’s signing.

While those grants are important funding sources for Washington districts, it’s a relative drop in the bucket compared to what districts get from state and local government sources. On average, federal funding accounts for only about 7% of Washington school districts’ revenue, according to Reykdal's office.

Districts in rural areas tend to be more reliant on federal funding. The Nespelem School District in northeastern Washington, for example, gets about 44% of its funding from the feds, according to the state’s federal funding heat map.

“It is clear that the reduction of federal funding and the privatization of our school system will be most damaging in rural communities,” Reykdal wrote, “and this is a fight that every American needs to lean into.”

This is a developing story.