Debunking the Leftist Narrative on the U.S. Department of Education
by Victoria Manning
The sky is not falling. Public schools will not collapse when the U.S. Department of Education is shuttered.
Mainstream media and far-left Democrats are pushing the narrative that special needs children will suffer, and children will starve if the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is abolished. The truth? K-12 public schools will still get their funding, and ultimately local schools will benefit from the downsizing. Shutting down the DOE will curtail harmful unfunded mandates and bureaucratic requirements pushed at the federal level.
Recent examples of media outlets pushing false narratives about the downsizing of the education department include talking points from the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers’ union:
NEAToday: "Gutting the department would mean less resources for our most vulnerable students, larger class sizes, fewer special education services for students with disabilities, and less civil rights protections."
WVEC: "Elimination of U.S. Education Department could impact Virginia public schools if that funding gets cut with the Department of Education, it could impact low-income areas who get more federal funding, and different school programs like special education."
The truth: Congress, through legislation, controls funding for special education and low-income students—not the DOE. The programs will not be cut!
CNN: “Low-income, rural and disabled students could be impacted.”
The truth: These statements have no basis in fact. The Department of Justice will oversee civil rights. Currently, federal funding is only a small percentage of local school board budgets—an average of 14 percent in 2022.. Funding that directly impacts students cannot be reduced since it is required by law. Congress approves funding for low income and special education students—not a federal agency.
The Destruction of Education under the DOE
Statistics show that both homeschooled and private school students significantly outperform their public school peers in testing and college acceptance rates. Jimmy Carter signed legislation in 1979 to create the Department of Education as a cabinet level entity. Since then, student academic outcomes have declined but bureaucratic administrative costs have increased in schools across the nation.
Recent national reports on math and reading scores for 4th and 8th grade public school students revealed a bleak picture for American students who continue to fall behind other developed nations. The number of 8th graders reading below a basic level is the largest in the history of NAEP testing. Globally, 15-year-old American students rank an abysmal 34th in math and 9th in reading literacy. Something must change. Giving control back to states and localities who are closest to the students and families impacted is the answer.
The Bureaucracy Pushes Radical Theory Not Authorized by Congress
Federal control of education over the last four and a half decades has created a method for radicals to infiltrate local school districts. The DOE funded 4 regional Equity Assistance Centers at an annual taxpayer cost of $6.5 million. These centers facilitated the leftist equity agenda across the nation by providing teacher training and other bureaucratic initiatives. Their mission: To “promote excellence and equity in education to achieve social justice.” Fortunately, these programs have been cut—an example of government waste that did not benefit children.
The DOE also used taxpayer funds to pushed transgender ideology. The department distributed a welcome message for transgender students which stressed support for boys to be permitted to play in girls’ sports and encouraged trans students to file complaints if they are denied access to sports of their choice.
One of the guest speakers in a DOE-funded webinar was a transgender teacher who taught high school biology and promoted the importance of sharing pronouns and using “inclusive” language. The speaker pontificated that it’s wrong in a biology class to instruct that it’s “women who produce eggs,” but teachers should teach that it’s “ovaries that produce eggs,” and “not all egg producers are women.” Taxpayer dollars should not fund these radical agendas—all our resources should focus on improving academic outcomes.
Don't believe the lying mainstream media. Closing the U.S. Department of Education will simply end radical indoctrination—NOT services for low-income and special education students.
Victoria Manning is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in education freedom, abortion, and immigration, and the author of Behind the Wall of Government Schools. Victoria served 8 years as an elected school board member with a master’s degree in law. She also brings the perspective of a military spouse and mother to her reporting.
