Trump’s effort to abolish the Education Department would hurt students with disabilities, families

Virginia already underfunds its schools compared with other states as students here struggle to recover from pandemic learning loss.

The Trump administration’s questionably legal attempt to fulfill the long-time conservative goal of eliminating the US Department of Education puts more than a billion dollars of federal funding for Virginia schools in the crosshairs. 

For fiscal year 2024, the US Department of Education allocated for Virginia $848.4 million in college grants for students in financial need; $370 million to help educate K-12 students with disabilities; $325.7 million to help local school districts for 334,036 students from poor families; and $32.5 million in career and technical education grants, according to a recent budget analysis by the National Education Association. Rural communities could also be hit particularly hard should any of this funding go away. 

That’s all in jeopardy after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to dismantle the US Department of Education and give states even more control over public education (they already control many aspects of it).

The Trump administration has said different parts of these funding streams could continue, but under different agencies. Trump said Friday that the Small Business Administration (SBA) could oversee federal student loans and the Department of Health and Human Services could take on programs for students with disabilities. 

Fund Our Schools, a pro-public education coalition in Virginia, noted on X that many US Department of Education staff members who oversaw these funds have been laid off and further layoffs raise questions about how the funds could be distributed. 

“By getting rid of the functions that make sure the money goes where it’s most needed, it’s likely that dismantling the Department of Education would actually make federal spending less efficient,” the coalition said. 

“Without federal support, Richmond’s schools will lose vital funding for special education programs, programs that serve our highest-need students, as well as programs serving English language learners, leaving parents scrambling for resources they cannot afford,” the Richmond Democratic Committee said in a statement. 

The US Department of Education also investigates civil rights violations in schools across the country. Here in Virginia, there are currently 575 open investigations in Virginia schools, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report. 

While the Trump administration faces an uphill fight against Democrats in Congress and possible legal challenges, Virginia Republicans cheered Trump’s executive order despite the Commonwealth’s mixed record when it comes to teaching students and supporting teachers. 

 Virginia’s schools are underfunded compared with other states, and schools here ranked last – behind every other state and Washington, DC – in math recovery from 2019 to 2024. That didn’t stop Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin from celebrating the Trump administration’s latest attack on the federal government. 

“Virginia is ready to take full responsibility for K-12 education,” said Youngkin, who has proposed creating a school voucher program that would divert public dollars to private schools. 

Virginia Democrats attacked the Trump administration’s push to dismantle the Department of Education and Youngkin’s support of it. 

“By supporting the Trump plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, Youngkin has put his stamp of approval on harming the future of nearly 1.3 million Virginian children in our public schools,” Virginia Del. Kathy Tran said in a statement.

Watch: Abigail Spanberger on Trump’s attempt to cut US Dept. of Education