- President Trump is expected to sign an Executive Order to eliminate the Department of Education, potentially impacting funding for schools in Memphis and nationwide.
- While the Department of Education only provides about 8% of funding for elementary and secondary education, its potential elimination raises concerns about the future of programs like Title I and IDEA.
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools received $333.34 million from the Department of Education for the 2024-25 school year, with the majority of its funding coming from the state.
With the impending end of the U.S. Department of Education on the horizon, it is possible for Memphis schools to lose millions in funding.
Reports from Thursday morning indicate President Donald Trump has plans to sign an Executive Order calling for the end of the Education Department. The White House has said Trump is still examining his next steps and is unclear on when he will make his decision. The department is in charge of a number of programs and oversees the distribution of funding grants to school districts.
If Trump does sign the Executive Order, it would ultimately end up in Congress. The GOP is projected to have a majority in both the Senate and U.S. House, but a 60-vote threshold is needed to pass legislation to shutter the agency, meaning some Democrats would have to back it.
In the 119th Congress, there were 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and 2 Independents. However, there are two vacancies in the Republican party from Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz’s resignations. Republicans would need seven votes plus the two vacancies to dismantle the Education Department.
If the order were to pass and survive the likely court challenges, schools in Memphis, and across the country, could take a hit in the coming months.
Here’s what to know about the potential cuts and how they could affect Memphis.
How does the Department of Education give money to schools?
According to the department, it provides about 8% of the funds used in elementary and secondary education across the nation.
The two primary categories of Department of Education funding are Title I dollars and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding. Title I helps schools with many students from low-income households, and IDEA helps schools meet the needs of students with disabilities.
In the 2024-25 budget, Title I funding received $99 million and IDEA received $36 million from the Education Department. These were the two largest funded programs for the district from the department.
How much does Memphis-Shelby County Schools receive from the Department of Education?
For the 2024-25 school year, Memphis-Shelby County Schools received $333.34 million from the Department of Education. The school district allocated $76.46 million to nutritional services and $255.96 million from federal programs.
MSCS gets its state funding money through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement program, and in FY 2025, the district is expected to receive $7,075 per student. Most of the funding MSCS gets comes from the state which granted $782.83 million for the 2024-25 school year.
Memphis has a large number of schools that are Title I meaning they serve students who live in high poverty areas. Funding from the Education Department in the form of Title I dollars is meant to help support those students.
Tennessee received $346,346,343 in fiscal year 2023 from the federal government for Title I schools according to the Center for American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan policy institute. Losing that funding would impact 65,029 students and approximately 4,250 teaching positions would be lost or 6% of the teaching workforce in the state.
Will Trump get rid of the Department of Education?
According to USA TODAY, it is expected that Trump will sign an Executive Order to eliminate the Department of Education after he examines how to move toward a potential executive action and addressing the future of the department. It is reported that Linda McMahon, the newly appointed head of the department, will be directed to dismantle the agency.
Only Congress has the legal power to dismantle any federal agencies, meaning this will be a test of how much power Trump holds as president.
Despite the President’s plan to remove the department, McMahon has expressed that key funding programs like Title I, federal student loans and Pell Grants would not be affected by Trump’s efforts.
What does the Department of Education do?
There are four main elements to what the Department of Education does.
The department makes sure that K-12 schools follow federal laws regarding things like discrimination and equal education for students with disabilities. It does not assign or regulate curriculum. If schools do not comply with the laws mandated by the department, they will not be eligible to receive federal funding.
The Education Department oversees federal funding for colleges and universities across the nation. It runs programs like Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA and Pell Grants.
The agency works to collect data and perform research for schools nationally. It also works to bring attention to and make recommendations on issues in education and aid in education reform.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
