Mary G. Vought
President Donald Trump’s recent executive order laying out a plan for dismantling the federal Department of Education represents good news for families nationwide. As the mother of a child with special needs and a former member of the National Council on Disability, I can attest that the benefits will extend to children with disabilities as well.
Lest special-needs parents have concerns about the future of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding, the order itself does not reduce such funding by one cent. Trump, or any president, cannot reduce IDEA funding even if he wants to—that responsibility lies with Congress. Indeed, the order instructs the secretary of education to ensure “rigorous compliance with federal law,” including IDEA funding and requirements currently existing in statute.
However, to the extent that both the administration and Congress can work to devolve responsibility for education policy to states and local governments, all students will benefit from greater opportunities.
No, We Don’t Need the Department of Education After All
As the order itself notes, the status quo has not served parents well. The most recent nationwide test results show that 70% of eighth-graders are not proficient in reading, and 72% are not proficient in math. Despite Washington spending nearly $200 billion on education during the pandemic, test scores remain lower than in 2019, the year before COVID hit.
The solution lies in removing the layers of regulations, bureaucracy, and wasteful spending—such as a $10 million public relations office—that have characterized the federal Department of Education since its inception. Washington should give power and funds back to states and localities to run education policy as they choose, and those local governments should continue delivering more dollars to the best advocates for a quality education: parents themselves.
My fellow special-needs parents have placed themselves on the vanguard of a new and innovative method of school choice: Education Savings Accounts, » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/education/commentary/why-no-more-education-department-good-news-parents-special-needs-children