Trump abandons public education with latest executive order
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota. March 20, 2025 – President Donald Trump abandoned public education in America on Thursday with an executive order to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education, said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota.
“Providing a great public education to every Minnesota student, no matter where they’re from, what they look like or how they learn, is up to every Minnesotan now,” Specht said. “Call Congress. Talk to your state legislators. Support your local schools. It’s up to us to protect and grow what really matters — because the president’s focus is on cutting services to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”
The courts will quickly block this latest executive order because the president lacks the authority to shut down the U.S. Department of Education without an act of Congress. However, the president’s anti-education message was clear.
“We can’t just assume this is just another illegal executive order that amounts to nothing,” Specht said. “Minnesota’s E-12 schools depend on more than $500 million a year in federal education funding, especially for special education services. Losing that money will harm every Minnesota student and educator. It would pass more of the cost of providing public education to local taxpayers.”
“The biggest challenge facing Minnesota’s schools is the staffing crisis and the best ways to fix it are by improving the pay, pensions and health care of educators. That’s how our state attracts and retains more educators, lowers class sizes and improves outcomes,” Specht said. “This attack on public schools could not come at a worse time for Minnesota students.”
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
