Following President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, there was a lot of confusion from those within the public education sector. Public schools rely on assistance from the DOE to keep them open and accessible to even the most vulnerable groups of students.

One of Duluth Public Schools Superintendent John Magas’ main concerns is further delays of funds.

“I think that there’s a lot that we’ll have to see how it develops, but I think there may be larger amounts of funding that comes to the state and then the state has to figure out how that is dispersed. And right now, we already have delays in disbursement of funds. It used to take two or three days to get funds dispersed, where now it takes up to three weeks. So, we’re concerned that as we have funding needs, that those funding gaps will be in place because of the longer delays,” said Magas.

The executive order stated that it would “ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,” but that they would divert control over many of the programs to other agencies, including ones at the state level. After all, these funds are part of the federal budget, meaning the government still has a responsibility to disperse the funds. If funding cuts are part of the DOE’s closure, Magas has concerns about meeting the needs of students.

“The federal funds are what we use to provide additional support for kids who need that additional support. So I don’t see how– if some of this results in funding cuts, how that would be beneficial for the students who need it most,” said Magas.

Curriculum has also been a point of contention for proponents of the DOE’s closure, as they have emphasized their desire to allow states to determine what is taught in their schools. Fortunately, that’s already the case.

“State or local schools are deciding on curriculum. They’re deciding on protocols for their schools. They’re making those decisions at the local level. The federal government is not dictating what we teach in school. The federal government is providing resources so that that teaching can happen,” said Duluth PTSA President Stacey DeRoche.

Right now, it’s unclear what specific impact the executive order will have, but there is a genuine sense of uncertainty while administrators wait to hear more. It is also worth noting that only Congress has the power to shut down cabinet-level departments, so it remains to be seen whether they will help the President’s agenda.