Recent changes to the U.S. Department of Education, including nearly halving the department’s workforce, have left education advocates and public school leaders scrambling.
The Trump administration made it clear that dissolving the Department of Education and cutting budgets for certain public schools programs was a priority. On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order calling on department leaders to begin dismantling the Department of Education.
The order has two major directives: task the Department of Education to begin dissolving itself and ensure that remaining funds dispersed by the Department do not go toward Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) or “gender-ideology” programs.
However, the executive branch won’t be able to change things quite so drastically on its own: The road to complete dissolution will require support from Congress.
Meanwhile, the Department will continue to operate its basic duties, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and grantmaking, the Department said in a press release.
Read on for what Illinois parents should know about the Trump administration’s changes to the Department of Education.
Changes to the Department of Education
The Department of Education’s workforce cut went into effect on March 21, 2025. The cut puts nearly half of all staff on administrative leave, and the Trump administration says it’s only the beginning.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzer condemned the administration’s move in a statement last week.
“Eliminating the Department of Education will likely have harsh and immediate impacts on Illinois’ students,” Pritzer said in a press release.
The governor laid out a scenario in which rural communities, students with disabilities and low-income students dependent on Pell Grants would suffer most from the department’s elimination.
However, the Department of Education was not formed by Congress until 1979, reports NPR, and its general duties could be handed off to other government agencies if Congress allows it.
Whether those other agencies would be able to maintain those important roles to the same standard, like overseeing federal financial aid for college students and enforcing discrimination laws, is unclear.
How quickly a massive change like dissolving the department could happen is also foggy. In addition, the Trump administration’s plans for the Department of Education will likely be challenged in court.
Federal funding impacted for Illinois schools
The Department of Education provides funding for students who require more support, like those with disabilities, English language learners and students living in poverty.
In Illinois, roughly $3.56 billion comes from the federal government, amounting to about $1,923 per student. The majority of funding for schools comes from the state, which allocates money for individual schools based on the evidence-based funding model.
The Trump administration has said that federal funding will still be available, it will just be up to other entities to disperse it.
The change concerns many education advocates who worry that without the oversight of the Department, states could use the money to fund students at private schools, reports the Associated Press.
Funding impact overview from the Governor’s office
The JB Pritzker administration shared figures highlighting the number of Illinois students who would be affected by a scenario in which the Department of Education shutters and other agencies do not take up its duties.
- Special Education Funding: Illinois expects to use $1.33 billion in federal funding this year to support more than 295,000 children receiving special education services.
- Pell Grants: Last year, more than 225,000 students in Illinois received upwards of $1 billion in Pell Grants.
- Student Loan Programs: Illinois has 1.6 million student loan borrowers who rely on the federal government to ensure affordable monthly payments and timely processing of applicable loan forgiveness programs.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a press release last week that under her leadership, the goal of the Department is to transition its duties to other agencies, not cut off funding.
“Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs,” McMahon said in a press release.
The move has sparked intense backlash from disabilities rights organizations, equity focused groups and the largest labor union in the country. Independent education advocacy organizations like Advance Illinois don’t buy the proposed benefits of dismantling the Department.
“To take this step at all, and especially now, when mountains of data point to slow but gradual progress in climbing back from COVID-related disruptions, highlights the administration’s disregard for its citizens, even as it flouts the legislative process,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois, in a press release.
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