Pittsburgh educators react to President Trump’s plan to dismantle the Education Department

PITTSBURGH — On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education.

School districts across the state will be affected by this decision, but President Donald Trump argues that returning education responsibility to the states will empower parents and communities. Educators who spoke with Channel 11 News on Thursday disagreed.

“We are angry; we are angry that the federal government would do this,” said Billy Hileman, President of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. Hileman expressed to Channel 11 News that without the U.S. Department of Education, ensuring a fair education system is nearly impossible.

“It’s basic fairness to provide support for students with disabilities and those facing obstacles to opportunities,” Hileman added. In Pennsylvania, state and local municipalities account for the majority of education funding, but federal dollars fill critical gaps, contributing $1.6 billion to the overall budget.

“These are very vulnerable students, and losing that crucial federal funding would put them at risk, likely leading to larger class sizes,” said Chris Lilienthal, who represents the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA).

According to the PSEA, the federal budget for the 2022-23 school year included:

$578 million for Title I programs benefiting the poorest students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across Pennsylvania.
$428 million for Individuals with Disabilities in Education (IDEA) programs, which support special education services for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania students.
Federal funding also supported 6,846 educator and professional positions.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult for school districts to afford these services and to find, recruit, and retain special education teachers and support staff,” Lilienthal explained.

One in five students in Pennsylvania receives special education services. Educators are concerned that without the Department of Education’s oversight, students may lose their civil rights.

President Trump disagrees, stating that returning education responsibilities to the states will empower parents and communities to take control and improve student outcomes. The president has also labeled the department as wasteful.

According to last year’s fiscal budget, the Department of Education constituted only 4 percent of total federal spending.

“It just does not make sense; it’s not going to achieve the desired economic impact for our overall budget, and it significantly harms people,” Hileman said.

Mayor Ed Gainey released the following statement in response to the signing:

“Trump’s executive order attempting to shut down the Department of Education is an attack on every student, every teacher, every parent, and every taxpayer in Pittsburgh. My administration has always stood with our educators and will fight to protect Pittsburgh’s public schools against Donald Trump. So long as I am Mayor, we will not bend to Trump’s attempt to rip away lifeline support from our most vulnerable students. We won’t stand by as he tries to force mass layoffs, teacher pay cuts, and explosions in class size. We won’t let him tear away the job training programs we fought to secure federal funding for, we won’t let him tear away special education services from students with disabilities. Just like we’ve come together to stop Jeffrey Yass’ crusade to defund public education across Pennsylvania, so long as we band together, we will win this fight.”

Billy Hileman, PFT President said, “Dismantling the federal Department of Education (DOE) is not eliminating fraud and abuse, it is eliminating federal support for students with disabilities and eliminating teaching positions that serve students who live in poverty. Stealing opportunity from our most vulnerable children simply to pay for additional tax cuts for billionaires is immoral. The PFT condemns the Trump administration’s shameful and callous disregard for the children who need our help the most.”

This order will likely face legal challenges, as the Department of Education was established by Congress. Congressional Republicans have also announced plans to introduce a bill to dismantle the department.

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