America's post-Department of Education landscape: What would it look like?
It's a joyous time for Tina Descovich, co-founder of the conservative parents' rights group Moms for Liberty.
On the day after the Trump administration laid off nearly half of the U.S. Department of Education's staff, Descovich applauded President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon for following up on the promise they made on the presidential campaign trail: Transfer education oversight from the federal government to the states. Trump is expected to sign an executive order attempting to close the Education Department soon.
"If the question is about layoffs, it’s never a time to celebrate when people lose their jobs, but if the question is about the reduction of half a billion dollars at the Education Department and the streamlining of the Education Department, I'm very happy about that," said Descovich, who has four adult children and a 17-year-old child who attends a public high school.
With Moms for Liberty, Descovich has championed parents' rights and state-funded school vouchers for more than four years. The group, which has 320 chapters in 48 states, has advocated for school vouchers, book bans, and other conservative education ideologies that align with the Trump administration.
The recent reductions at the agency are a win for her and U.S. parents and advocates who want education oversight to return to a more local level than at the federal government.
For others, confusion about what the cuts will mean for schools immediately and in the long-term lingers. Many Americans have taken to social media to ponder what a democratic country looks like without a federal agency at the helm of education.
Angered parents, teachers and education leaders who expected Trump to follow through on his promise to close the Education Department – which was outlined in Project 2025 – have said that public schools need all the help they can get. They argue any reduction in staffing at the department or in resources campuses receive will hurt students.