NBJC Condemns President Trump’s Illegal Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education
CONTACT: Jordan Wilhelmi | jordan@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON –Dr. David J. Johns, CEO and Executive Director of the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC), issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s signing an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education:
“This executive order to dismantle the Department of Education is a direct attack on public education, democracy, and the civil rights of all students. It is a calculated step in the agenda to dismantle public education, funnel taxpayer dollars into private school vouchers, and eliminate protections for Black students, LGBTQ+ students, students from low-income backgrounds, students in rural communities, and students with disabilities, leaving young people without the support needed to succeed. To be clear, the goal remains changing the rules of the game via policy and subsequent practice to further enrich a small group of greedy billionaires and their corporate interests, at the expense of everyone else.
“Abolishing the Education Department doesn’t just remove a layer of bureaucracy—it rips away critical funding and protections for the students who need them most. Federal Title I funds that support 26 million students from low-income backgrounds will be in jeopardy. 40% of schools receiving Title I funds are schools in rural communities. 7.4 million students with disabilities who rely on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for essential learning accommodations will be left without federal safeguards. 6.6 million Pell Grant recipients will be left in the dark about the federal student aid they rely upon to attend and graduate college. And rural school districts, already struggling with fewer resources, will lose crucial federal assistance that helps bridge funding gaps for nearly 10 million students—predominantly in red states.
“In fact, in six states—Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Kentucky—more than 20% of the education budget is provided by the federal government. Without the funds, support, and accountability provided by the Departments, states and local communities will struggle to support students and schools. We should anticipate larger class sizes, fewer resources, and greater disparities in academic achievement and outcomes in school and life.
“Equally alarming, this move eliminates the federal oversight that protects students from discrimination and upholds civil rights laws in schools. Without the Department of Education, there is no federal agency ensuring that girls, Black students, and Latino/a students are not disproportionately suspended due to stigma, bias, and prejudice; That students who identify as or are perceived to be LGBTQ+ are not denied basic protections from harassment and violence; Or that students with disabilities are given the support they are legally entitled to, which ensures they can learn and ultimately thrive. Dismantling the department effectively greenlights unchecked discrimination in our schools and erases decades of progress toward educational equity.
“Proponents of this move claim this is about ‘returning control to the states,’ but we’ve seen this playbook before. It’s the same strategy conservatives have used for decades—turning federal education funding into block grants that states can slash with no accountability. The result? Less money for public schools, fewer resources for students, including educators, and larger class sizes. By removing federal oversight, this Administration will give states a blank check to defund education and shift funds to school voucher programs robbing public schools of desperately needed resources. This process results in more greedy billionaires and their corporate interests profiting while the opportunities for individual students and their families, communities, and, ultimately, our country are weakened. What’s great about a country whose citizens are denied opportunities to develop the skills required to compete in the global 21st-century economy?
“It is no coincidence that the same people, who have spent years attacking progress toward equity and a more expansive democracy via Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ+ students, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, are determined to gut public education. Their goal has never been about strengthening schools—it has always been about dismantling them.
“We should not stand by while this administration erases decades of progress and leaves millions of students, families, and too many communities behind. We’ve seen what’s possible when students and schools receive the support they need to demonstrate what they know and are capable of. Our country has reaped the benefits of equity-fueled policy efforts, enabling capable students to overcome hundreds of years of systemic obstacles. Our children and country deserve a fully functioning public education system focused on equity. Our democracy depends upon it.
“We expect legal challenges to follow, and we urge Congress, state leaders, and education advocates to take immediate action to block this unconstitutional power grab. We call on parents, students, families, and concerned citizens to contact their elected leaders in both caucuses and at every level of government to demand the protection of crucial and earned civil rights and voice their opposition to dismantling the Department of Education. The future of public education—and the future of our children—is on the line.”