Since President Donald Trump took office back in January, he has had his sights set on multiple agencies in his efforts with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who runs the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Both have made it their goal to downsize the government in the name of reducing the national deficit, with the end goal of reducing the national debt.

One of the targets of President Trump and Musk’s efforts to minimize the government is the Department of Education (ED). While this is not the first time Republicans and Trump alike have gone after the department, more and more students and citizens are becoming worried that the department may be shut down during his second term.

While the more recognized version of the Department of Education is the one created in 1979 under former President Jimmy Carter, the department has roots back to the 19th century.

In 1867, Andrew Johnson signed the Department of Education into law but quickly met fierce opposition. Southern states were especially worried that it would give too much power to the federal government, an argument still used to this day.

A year later, in 1868, the department was heavily downsized and renamed the Office of Education. It continued to move around under different agencies before being revamped under the Carter Administration in 1979. Then, it received its official name, more funding, and the position it still holds today. According to the official Department of Education website, it has about 4,300 employees and a budget of about $60B USD at the moment.

Although the ED has established itself as a strong government agency, attacks against the department remain. 

The 1980s brought another call for the department to shut down as soon as possible, with Ronald Reagan using it in his campaign. Even now, Republicans specifically want the department to shut down due to its role in promoting what they call “woke” ideology to children in schools across the country. Opponents to the department’s operation cite the teaching of gender and race ideology in some schools as justification to shut it down.

In 2023, Florida rejected a proposal to introduce AP African American Studies to schools curricula, arguing that it pushed “a political agenda” for including the idea of critical race theory and went even further by, according to the College Board, “effectively banned [banning] AP Psychology” in the state due to its law prohibiting the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity, a topic discussed in the course.

While Florida may seem like an isolated case, this comes after other Republican-led states like Oklahoma and Texas also had attacks on “woke” curriculum.

In Oklahoma, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has consistently advocated for classrooms that would “foster patriotism, respect for our nation and the Judeo-Christian values that built America,” according to a statement released to the public by the Oklahoma State Department of Education on March 17, 2025. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law bill SB-17 in 2023, banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices on state university campuses and has recently vowed to go after DEI in K-12 institutions next. 

“Schools must focus on fundamentals of education, not indoctrination,” Abbott shared in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Since his inauguration, President Trump has enacted numerous executive orders to take the necessary steps to minimize the government, including shutting down the ED.

This comes in contrast with President Trump’s claims during his 2024 election campaign that he was not associated with Project 2025, a plan by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Project 2025 included dismantling government agencies like the United States Agency for International Development and rolling back climate policies, with Trump having done both.

As noted by project2025.observer, a website that has been tracking the Trump administration and its actions, Project 2025 is, as of May 7th, 2025, 42% complete, with numerous other initiatives that align with the plan in progress.

Trump, in an executive order issued on March 20, 2025, stated that “The Secretary of Education shall, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.”

This has raised the question of whether or not it is in the executive’s authority to shut down government departments.

Junior Norah Kelly believes it to be an overreach by President Trump, and the sole power should not be vested in a singular person.

“America was founded on the basis of a democracy and it is critical that decisions like these are not made by a sole individual,” Kelly said. “The reason we have hundreds of elected representatives is to make these kinds of decisions and while the president is certainly one of those, it’s imperative that we don’t put a decision as massive as this in the hands of one person.”

Senior Brian Tadlock agrees that the decision should not be vested in one person but should be decided by Congress instead.

“That kind of decision affects millions of people and should involve Congress and public input,” Tadlock said. “It’s important for checks and balances to be respected so one person doesn’t hold too much authority.”

As mentioned, because the ED was created by Congress and signed into law by the president, the executive does not have the authority to shut the department down. However, he can tell them to start minimizing what they are doing, as he did in the executive order.

One thing that the ED overlooks is the FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Each year, millions of students fill out the FAFSA to determine if they are eligible for federal student aid that could help pay for their education.

One of the grants that FAFSA offers is the Pell Grant, which is primarily given out to students “who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree,” according to the ED’s official website.

But now that Trump has moved to shut down the department, questions have also been raised over whether or not FAFSA will still exist when students go to fill it out next year, or whether or not college will be obtainable for low-income students.

According to the Education Data Initiative, “51% of Pell Grant funds go to students whose families earn less than $20,000 annually.”

This has caused some anxiety among students at De Soto about the affordability of higher education.

“I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I could pay for college using savings, and potentially loans,” Kelly said. “However, the ED oversees a lot of aid that is critical for students my age. They also oversee federal student loans, which means if eliminated, I would have to seek out a privatized option.”

Fellow junior Keegan Flynn reflects these thoughts.

“I really don’t think it will affect me that much. I will be graduating here after next year and then I will head to an in-state college,” Flynn said. “I have college funds saved up for most of my life and the rising prices might be a struggle but I will be able to work at professional entertainment events to earn the money for it.”

In addition to student aid, the ED also manages special education, with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) being “dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.”

OSEP helps schools get funding authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, more commonly referred to as IDEA.

IDEA is supposed to help make what is described by the ED’s website as “free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation.”

By shutting down the ED, it would not only impact college-bound and already enrolled students, but it would also impact those in special education.

As stated by the National Disability Rights Network, “States and school districts losing [would lose] funding or having [have] delayed access to funding to recruit, train, hire, and retain” teachers for disabled students, along with the shortage causing those “with disabilities will [to] not have access to services, supports, reasonable accommodations, and/or adequate staffing that is necessary to meet their individual needs and legal requirements of IDEA and other laws.”

The possibility of education being taken away is something that Kelley has recognized.

“Resources for students with special needs is being threatened,” Kelley said. “This includes students in the Voyagers program, and even The Bridge for special needs students to have resources after graduation.”

As the Department of Education’s future hangs in the air, numerous questions come into play. Students here at De Soto worry about the potential impacts it may have on their future, while others also worry about the impact it may have on their peers. Only time will tell if the Department of Education will remain a member of the bureaucracy.