How dismantling the Department of Education will affect Ohio schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- As Ohio lawmakers debate how they want to fund public schools, the state's poorest districts will bear the brunt of the Department of Education's sunset.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to begin shuttering the Department of Education while maintaining services and benefits people rely on. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined Trump at the signing of the executive order, although his team did not yet confirm his motivation for attending.

The order instructs McMahon to ensure the agency does not fund programs that advance diversity, equity and inclusion or gender ideology. Framed by around a dozen school children seated at desks, Trump said at the signing that he hopes McMahon will be "the last Secretary of Education."

The Department of Education does not set curricula and primarily serves as a funding and civil rights compliance office, and Trump plans to continue them with a smaller budget and fewer staff. In Ohio, this order is likely to disproportionately affect students with disabilities or who come from lower income families and school districts.

Trump cannot close the Department of Education alone. Because it was established by Congress, it would need an act of Congress to dissolve it. However, Trump’s plan already has Congressional support; Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a bill to terminate the Department on Jan. 31, and the bill is currently in the House education committee, although it has not seen further action since it was introduced. 

According to the Department of Education itself, education in the U.S. is primarily left to the states and to local municipalities. The department said federal funding only makes up about 8% of funding for K-12 education in the U.S., including funds from other federal departments. In 2024, federal funding for Ohio's public schools totaled $3.18 billion, or 11.6% of all public school revenue.

What does this mean for K-12 schools?

Trump's order said it will maintain primary functions, for now, with a goal of fulling shuttering the department. Now operating with fewer staff and smaller budgets, NBC News correspondents report many of its primary functions may see backlogs and be unable to keep up with demand, stalling or limiting possible funds.

Most of Ohio's 2024 federal funds came from temporary COVID-19 relief payments, which have since stopped and are unrelated to Trump's order. The remaining funds primarily came from Title I funding and IDEA funding, both housed under the department. Title I primarily offers financial support for economically disadvantaged students through various grants, and IDEA funds generally support special education programs.

According to state data, school districts with high poverty rates received significant funding from Title I grants. Urban schools with very high poverty rates and large populations received an average of $1,119 per student in Title I funding in 2024. Ohio lists eight school districts and 200,000 students across those categories, so without Title I funding, those districts would lose a combined $223.8 million.

One of those eight districts is Columbus City Schools (CCS), which has an 82% student poverty rate and is Ohio's largest district. For Columbus' 46,000 students, that equates to $51,474,000 in federal funds from Title I alone. In 2024, CCS had more than $1.1 billion in expenditures. Title I funds are limited in how they can be spent, but would have equated to 4.5% of CCS' total expenses for that school year.

Federal funding losses come at especially poor timing for districts like CCS, where leadership has been outspoken about funding losses under Ohio's biennial budget, which will be finalized this summer. Under current drafts, CCS leadership say they would lose $45 million over the next two years. Central Ohio school districts are predicted to lose a combined $120 million if the budget does not adjust its school funding.

IDEA funding could also be cut, effecting payments supporting public education for students ages three to 21 with disabilities. Central Ohio's 17 primary public school districts received nearly $53.5 million in IDEA funding in 2024. Special education funding is also of concern in state funding cuts, where central Ohio districts are projected to lose more than $33.5 million under the proposed state budget.

Ohioans -- especially in poorer school districts -- have conveyed that they do not want higher property taxes, which contribute to public schools' other source of funding. In November, 60% of local school levies failed. The districts that passed levies had an average student poverty rate of 18.1%, where districts that failed averaged 49.5%. With less state funding and school levies failing at the ballots, poorer districts are more likely to feel the loss of this federal funding.

What does this mean for Ohio universities?

Ohio universities could also lose millions. According to federal spending data, Ohio State received nearly $550 million in Department of Education grants in the past 12 months, and Ohio University received $72.1 million. In total, Ohio's 13 public universities received nearly $1 billion in federal funds from the Department of Education in that same time span.

The Department of Education also plays a significant role in student loans, and Ohio ranks among the top 10 states with the most student debt. According to Pew Research Center, Americans owe about $1.6 trillion in student loans, and one in four adults under 40 has student loan debt. Even if the Department of Education is eventually fully abolished, this money would likely still be due. 

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told NewsNation in early March that student loans, Pell Grants and other student aid "might be served best" in another federal department. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said student loans and Pell grants will be much smaller, but remain under the Education Department for now.