MADISON, Wis. — On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.
Michael Jones is the President of Madison Teachers Incorporated, the union for Madison public school teachers.
He said for K-12 teachers, the president’s order to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education raises a lot of questions.
“I think there is a lot of concern in general about the state of the education system federally, statewide and even locally to a certain extent,” said Jones.
Jones is also a special education teacher in Madison. He said he believes the Trump Administration’s move will have a direct impact on the students he works with.
“Requiring our school districts to spend more money and pull away from other funds that are not special aid related,” said Jones. “That has been going on already for decades.“
According to the Education Data Initiative, college enrollment in 2024 was down almost 9% compared to 2010.
He believes with the uncertainty the president’s executive order brings, it could also impact college enrollment numbers.
“We are going to have more and more disconnect, discontent and more socioeconomic equities,” said Jones.
Carole Trone, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Coalition on Student Debt, said because of the pandemic and payment pauses over the past five years, repayment plans have seen several changes.
“We know that there are millions of student loan borrowers who may not really know what a normal payment routine looks like,” said Trone.
The White House said that some critical functions will still be run out of the reduced department.
Trone said it is important as changes happen borrowers familiarize themselves with their options.
For new borrowers, she said federal aid should still be an option.
“So, Pell grants, federal work study, federal subsidized and unsubsidized student loans, those are all intact,” said Trones.
Jones said if you are unhappy with what is happening to the Department of Education, there is something community members can do about it.
“Reach out to your local legislatures and say this is wrong,” said Jones. “It does not matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, children should be educated.”
