WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that seeks to dismantle the Department of Education and leave school policy in the hands of states, making good on a campaign promise that has energised conservatives and worried education advocates.

The order follows the department’s announcement last week that it would lay off nearly half of its staff. It is the latest step by Trump, who has been in office some two months, to reshape the US government and upend the federal bureaucracy.

Trump signed the order at a White House event with students, teachers, parents and state governors who support the effort, a sign of its resonance with some Republican voters and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

Education has long been a political lighting rod in the United States, with conservatives favoring school choice policies that help private schools and left-leaning voters largely supporting programs and funding for public schools.

Fights about US education accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic, a divide Trump tapped into as a presidential candidate.

Trump has said he wants Education Secretary Linda McMahon to put herself out of a job. But Congress would have to pass legislation to shutter the department completely, and Trump does not have the votes to do that.

Though Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Democratic support would be required to achieve the needed 60 votes in the Senate for such a bill to pass.

The Education Depart­ment oversees some 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools in the United States, although more than 85% of public school funding comes from state and local governments. It provides federal grants for needy schools and programs, including money to pay teachers of children with special needs, fund arts programs and replace outdated infrastructure.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2025