- President Trump signed an executive order to significantly dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
- It could impact the $70 million in federal funding that the Leon County School District depends on for several programs.
- Watch the video to hear the district's hopes and plans following the executive order.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
An executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education could impact the 70 million federal dollars Leon County Schools depend on for several programs. I'm Kenya Cardonne in the Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood. With some of those programs dedicated to our Title 1, special needs and ESOL communities, what could this federal department crackdown look like closer to home?
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary - "We think decisions are best made when they're closest to the people, and we trust teachers and educators and their respective schools to make these very important decisions about our children's education and their futures."
The goal behind President Trump's executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education is sparking controversy nationwide and here in the Sunshine State.
Andrew Spar, President of Florida Education Association - "States do not enforce federal law. The federal government enforces federal law, so having the U.S. Department of Education that can ensure that federal laws are being followed by the states, by school districts— is vital."
Concerns trickling down to Leon County, where more than 10% of the school district's budget is made up of federal funding.
Billy Epting, LCS Assistant Superintendent for Business Services - "We rely on that federal funding for a good bit of it, particularly in specific areas that target certain groups of students that are typically underfunded."
Billy Epting, Leon County Schools Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, broke down the budget with me.
About $15 million from the U.S. Department of Education goes towards our Title 1 schools. About $8.5 million fund the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act Grant. Millions of dollars in other title grants support professional recruitment and training, ESOL programs, and gifted and advanced programs.
The big question: If the ED were to vanish, would the funding for these programs tag along?
Epting - "My hope is that then those dollars will be given to each individual state, and then the State Departments of Education will decide how to disperse those."
If our school district loses the funding, Epting says that could lead to program cuts and more lobbying our local government to request more state funding.
He adds the community would play a big role in filling the gaps as well.
Epting - "We would have to look for nonprofit agencies and other partnerships in the area that could help supplement or provide services that we might lose. But then again, our hope is that we don't have to."
President Trump signed the executive order but the power ultimately lies in the hands of Congress. In Southwest Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27.
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