Executive Order to Begin Dismantling U.S. Department of Education
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Date PostedMarch 21, 2025
On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
The Executive Order (EO) directs the Secretary of Education to facilitate the closure of the U.S. Department of Education “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” This limitation is important because only Congress, which established the Department by statute, has the legal authority to close it and disperse its responsibilities to other federal agencies through additional legislation. The EO also directs the Secretary to ensure that the allocation of funds to the Department is subject to “rigorous compliance with Federal law and Administration policy.” The EO does not attempt to freeze or cut any funding to schools, and the Administration has indicated that Title I and funding for students with disabilities authorized by Congress will be preserved.
Despite these assurances, how and to what extent the EO will be implemented is unclear, and it is difficult to assess any potential impacts to local schools at this time.
Recent significant reductions in staffing at the Department of Education also raise questions regarding the ability of the agency to continue all of its critical functions. For example, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which assists with the data needed to administer Title I and Rural Education Achievement Program funds, was reduced from 100 to three staff members. The layoffs are being challenged in court by a group of states, including Illinois.
Legal challenges to the EO itself are also anticipated. IASB will continue to monitor and update our members on practical impacts of this EO.
IASB supports 848 local school boards that play a critical role in shaping the future of public education in their local communities. Those responsibilities include setting policies that guide the district’s goals, overseeing the budget to ensure fiscal responsibility, and advocating for the needs of students, families, and educators.
The Executive Order (EO) directs the Secretary of Education to facilitate the closure of the U.S. Department of Education “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” This limitation is important because only Congress, which established the Department by statute, has the legal authority to close it and disperse its responsibilities to other federal agencies through additional legislation. The EO also directs the Secretary to ensure that the allocation of funds to the Department is subject to “rigorous compliance with Federal law and Administration policy.” The EO does not attempt to freeze or cut any funding to schools, and the Administration has indicated that Title I and funding for students with disabilities authorized by Congress will be preserved.
Despite these assurances, how and to what extent the EO will be implemented is unclear, and it is difficult to assess any potential impacts to local schools at this time.
Recent significant reductions in staffing at the Department of Education also raise questions regarding the ability of the agency to continue all of its critical functions. For example, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which assists with the data needed to administer Title I and Rural Education Achievement Program funds, was reduced from 100 to three staff members. The layoffs are being challenged in court by a group of states, including Illinois.
Legal challenges to the EO itself are also anticipated. IASB will continue to monitor and update our members on practical impacts of this EO.
IASB supports 848 local school boards that play a critical role in shaping the future of public education in their local communities. Those responsibilities include setting policies that guide the district’s goals, overseeing the budget to ensure fiscal responsibility, and advocating for the needs of students, families, and educators.