(NewsNation) — The Trump administration has taken a significant step in its plan to dismantle the Department of Education, offloading some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the move was meant to ensure tax dollars go toward a “world-class education system,” but it was met with protests outside the department’s headquarters.
The administration has sought to dismantle the department by cutting jobs after Trump called for its elimination in March. Trump has said he wants the department “as small as legally possible.”
Six new agreements signed by the Education Department will effectively move billions of dollars in grant programs to other agencies. Most notable is one that will put the Department of Labor over some of the largest federal funding streams for K-12 schools, including Title I money for schools serving low-income communities.
Opponents have urged against such a shake-up, saying it could disrupt programs that support some of the nation’s most vulnerable student populations.
Grant programs transferred to Interior, State departments
Under the new plan, the Labor Department will oversee nearly all grant programs currently managed by the Education Department’s K-12 and higher education offices — along with the $18 billion Title I program, which includes smaller funding pools for teacher training, English instruction and TRIO, a program that helps steer low-income students to college degrees.
It will effectively outsource the department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and Office of Postsecondary Education, two of the agency’s largest units. Two major roles in the postsecondary office will remain with the Education Department: oversight of student loan policy and the accreditation of colleges for eligibility to receive federal student financial aid.
Another deal will put the Health and Human Services Department in charge of a grant program for parents attending college, as well as the management of foreign medical school accreditation. The State Department will take on foreign language programs. The Interior Department will oversee programs for Native American education.
Ahead of Tuesday’s signing, McMahon posted an ominous video on social media with the caption, “The clock is ticking,” featuring footage of former President Ronald Reagan and other politicians criticizing the Education Department, followed by Trump promising to “shut it down as quick as possible.”
During an August interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” McMahon defended shifting oversight to the state-level while keeping national testing in place.
“What I hear mostly is, ‘Please tell me that, as we put education back to the states — which is of course my mandate — that we will not get away from having NAEP scores and the research that we can all rely on to make sure that we’re doing the right things in our state,'” she said, referring to the National Assessment of Education Progress.
Protesters gather at Education Department headquarters
A handful of protesters gathered Tuesday outside the department’s headquarters, including former employees who argue the Trump administration’s move is part of a long-term plan to dismantle federal safeguards.
“I’m here to make sure that the folks inside remember that people do care about the Education Department,” said Bradley Custer, a former Education Department employee. “That their attempts to dismantle it are illegal, and that those of us who used to work here are going to fight to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”
Hundreds of jobs have been cut at the department over the last year. Legal scholars say Congress still decides whether offices such as those for civil rights and special education can be moved or shut down. Courts will have to sort out how far these transfers can go.
Federal funding won’t just disappear immediately. However, over the next school year, districts, colleges and tribal communities may find themselves dealing with new federal gatekeepers and fewer specialists left inside the Education Department.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.