On a quiet spring day, President Trump decided to sign an executive order to formally end the modern Department of Education after existing for 45 years. Students at Solano College were asked about how they felt about the department’s closure and its impact.
Many people have called into question the legitimacy of this decision, because of Congress’ role in the government. One of the many people to question this choice was Andreas Leon Guerrero, a student attending the college.
“I really think that he’s doing something that’s way out of his control. It should not be something he’s allowed to do, I already know Congress needs to vote on it to remove the department of education as a whole, but gutting the Department of Education? I don’t see how that’ll help at all.” Leon Guerrero stated.
Leon Guerrero added, “I know the White House Press Secretary said that the department would still be doing the finances and all that, but removing the employees will slow down those processes.”
The legality of this decision has been called into question because of Congress. The Presidential Branch is not able to legally create laws or disband departments created by the Congressional Branch. However, Leon Guerrero believes that this won’t matter to congress.
“Based on what they’ve done in the past month or two, I think there’s a high chance they’re going to allow him to continue ruining more federal agencies.” Leon Guerrero stated.
With the legality being called into question, many more questions arise for the public. This includes if certain schools will remain open for public access to students. The Department of Education is responsible for providing grants and loans to both colleges and K-12 schools, which can help fund low income schooling in rural regions.
This now creates an issue for Congress, with how the funding will be given to schools and how students will even be able to access education in an affordable fashion.
According to Education Week, Census data revealed that nearly 14% of youth under 18 lived in poverty during 2023.
Student Carissa Kwiecien discussed the accessibility question that many are currently asking.
Kwiecien explained, “I’m not completely educated on things like these, but the [Department] of Education is such an important factor to the younger generations and the country in general. It helps make education accessible to everyone in the country, when before it was established to be for people in the upper class.”
Students often rely on the Department of Education for learning, with the department ensuring that education is an option for the middle and lower class. Kwiecien is one of those students the department helped gain access to education.
Kwiecien stated, “It helps make education accessible to everyone in the country, when before it was established to be for people in the upper class. I know for myself specifically, if it didn’t exist then I probably wouldn’t be able to be here.”
The decision itself remains to be debated by the left and right wing parties, but individual students at Solano seem to be in agreement over disapproval. However, these students don’t represent everyone, so what do you think? Did Trump make the right choice or will this be a catastrophic failure? Let us know in the poll below.
