UC Davis professor says Department of Education funding cuts could hurt the most vulnerable

By Hunter Sowards

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    DAVIS, California (KOVR) — DAVIS – Fears over funding cuts at the Department of Education are felt in school districts across the country.

The downsizing of the Department of Education is sparking protests nationwide and in Sacramento.

Local teachers say confusion is fueling fear.

“A lot of trouble, it’s a very scary time with the possibility of losing assets,” a teacher said.

UC Davis education policy professor Kevin Gee says these federal dollars are used to help the most vulnerable.

“Some of its core functions include ensuring that there’s funding for schools that serve large proportions of low-income students. They provide funding for students with disabilities,” Gee said.

In the last fiscal year, California got $2.4 billion in federal to support programs for low-income kids and $1.5 billion for students with disabilities.

In addition to money in jeopardy, staffing at the agency has been slashed nearly in half.

“We want education to be moved back to where the states run education,” President Trump said.

Gee argues the states already decide how to operate

“All states control their education but California is a champion for local accountability,” Gee said.

California and 19 other states now suing, saying they want the White House to reverse the decision to downsize

“California’s attorney general taking the lead on this legal challenge,” CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane said. “That is because, according to supporters of the US Department of Education, so many people don’t understand what the US Department of Education actually does. They don’t handle local curriculum or local school construction.”

A funding feud with students caught in the middle

“I think a state like California is going to be under the microscope,” Gee said.

That’s because of backlash from the White House over schools supporting DEI initiatives.

Experts say there could be conditions for schools to follow to get those funds.

While Mr. Trump can scale back and gut operations, it would take an act of Congress to fully dismantle the department.

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