The University of Kansas School of Education creates the teachers of tomorrow. Threats to the Department of Education have caused funding to be taken away from public schools, creating fears among future educators about what may happen to their schools.

Lily Schutzenhofer | [email protected]

President Donald Trump signed an executive order two weeks ago to dismantle the U.S Department of Education, which will impact students from Kindergarten to the university level. Even students here at the University of Kansas, who plan to pursue a career in education. 

Education student Ellie Anderson said her fear isn’t not having a job, but the Department of Education’s closure will impact programs offered at schools.

“There are so many working parts that make a school run. Some schools for kids that really deserve to have an education might be taken away from them,” Anderson said.

Special education programs within public schools will also feel the repercussions of the executive action, as their funding is likely to decrease. Special education teachers fear that without federal support, their programs may cease to exist.

Education student Lucie Lane said education students and professionals are waiting to see how new policies are introduced and how they can best support their students.

“We’re not sure what things are going to look like, and how things are going to be funded but, we’re going to try our best and see from there,” Lane said.

The most impacted schools of these cuts will be Title I schools, which are schools that rely on federal funding to support students from low-income families. Some schools in the area have already seen the effects of these cuts. Anderson said she’s experienced funding cuts already with a recent school field trip.

“I was supposed to go on a field trip with a fifth grade to a place called Starbase, they were no longer able to go to the field trip which was, it’s a highlight of fifth grade, so everybody was pretty upset. and I think that with the ending of the year approaching, and May, the next school year is very uncertain, and I think that scares a lot of people.”