Education Department Announces Plans for Restructuring

On Tuesday, the Education Department revealed intentions to further reorganize itself by shifting specific duties to other federal agencies. This aligns with President Trump’s ongoing objective of eventually eliminating the department altogether.

While certain programs are mandated by federal law to remain under the Education Department, the Trump administration is attempting to bypass the need for Congressional approval through six interagency agreements.

Rather than entirely giving up its responsibilities, the administration has opted to contract out various aspects of certain programs to other federal agencies.

Two contracts have been established with the Department of Labor to take over functions related to elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education programs. Additionally, agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services will manage the university’s childcare program and medical accreditation for foreign educational institutions.

The Department of the Interior will assume some responsibilities for the Indian Education Program, while the State Department will co-manage the International Education and Foreign Language Learning Program.

According to a senior official from the Education Department, “These partnerships signify a major advancement in improving the administration of selected programs, utilizing the expertise and experience of these partner agencies to streamline bureaucracy developed over decades.”

The official emphasized that “We believe these partnerships will enhance services for grant recipients and school families nationwide.”

Although the legal oversight will still reside with the original agency, the other departments will manage processes like grant administration.

Some employees from the Education Department will transition to these partnering agencies, though it’s unclear when this transfer will be fully executed.

This announcement comes after President Trump’s executive order in March to minimize the department as much as legally permissible.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon recognizes that a complete dissolution of the Department of Education would necessitate Congressional approval, yet she has consistently pushed for the transfer of certain programs, such as the Office of Civil Rights, to the Justice Department.

A senior official from the department mentioned that there’s consideration of additional interagency agreements for other programs.

This initiative is likely to draw criticism from Democratic lawmakers and may encounter legal hurdles.

Updated at 2:21pm EST