The fate of the U.S. Department of Education

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team members have reportedly obtained administrator email accounts at the U.S. Department of Education. President Donald Trump announced he planned to do away with the department and turn over control to the states.

Of particular concern, “The New York Times” reported as many as 16 DOGE team members are now listed in the Education Department directory, and according to “The Washington Post,” have fed sensitive personal and financial data from the department into artificial intelligence software.

What would this mean for the millions of schoolchildren in the U.S. and here in Arizona? How does this affect programs for special needs children as well as student loans? How will it affect teachers?

Marisol Garcia, President of the Arizona Education Association, joined “Arizona Horizon” to help answer some of those questions.

Reaction to Linda McMahon 

Marisol Garcia explained how her reaction to Linda McMahon is “not a surprise but a ton of disappointment. Our students deserve so much better than underqualified person leading the U.S. Department of Education,” said Garcia.

“People have a deep misunderstanding what the Department of Education does. it has very little influence in curriculum” and also what is happening in schools, said Garcia.

Garcia explains how there are three important aspects involved that this offers and the implications. “One, research what’s best for kids. There’s a lot of research grants that come out of the U.S. Department of ED. Two, they fund, they’re the path for money for students with disabilities, students underserved, students in poverty, they receive the extra funding needed to open opportunities” said Garcia.

Lastly, Garcia described how the third aspect is how they are safeguards. “If there are issues happening in schools where students are treated improperly, they can do an investigation from outside to see how it can help,” said Garcia.