Education Secretary Linda McMahon addressed concerns over funding being slashed as the Trump Administration slashes the Department of Education. NBC6’s Ari Odzer reports
They’ve already fired half of the workforce at the Department of Education.
In recent weeks, we have done several reports examining the possible impact slashing the DOE in Washington could have on South Florida schools and families. Amidst this period of turmoil, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon paid a visit Tuesday to a charter school and a private, orthodox Jewish school.
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WATCH HERE“Madame secretary, can we ask you a quick question before you start?” I asked at her first stop, the True North Classical Academy charter school in Kendall.
“I think we’re on a mission here so we’ll do that,” McMahon responded as she walked away, and she never did take questions from us.
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After touring several classrooms, McMahon did address some of the main concerns about her agency being gutted.
“I’m asked what is your vision, you know for education, and what you want the education department to be, clearly the president has made it clear about where he wants the education department to be and that’s nowhere, he would like for it to be closed and that is my mandate,” McMahon said, surrounded by charter school industry officials.
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Miami-Dade County School Board member Monica Colucci was the only traditional public school representative at the event. I asked her if she had any concerns about what might happen to the DOE.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think we’re in a position right now, we have not lost any funding, we right now are monitoring the situation very closely, and we will be reviewing, and if we have any concerns we will of course bring it up,” Colucci said.
Parents of disabled children have told us they do have concerns about losing funding for the programs on which their kids rely, programs administered by the DOE.
“Clearly our funding will be retained, that is, a big pushback – oh, we’re gonna lose teachers, we’re gonna lose this funding, we’re not gonna have as much for our handicapped and disabled children, our Title One funding – none of that is true,” McMahon said. “What we’re looking at is really trimming – not trimming – but really doing away with the bureaucracy.”
The presidents of Miami-Dade College and Florida International University took the opportunity to make sure McMahon knew about the work being done at their institutions. The DOE distributes millions in grant money for higher education.
“So there’s a lot of talk swirling about grants and the impact they’re having and if they’re doing away with grants so it’s not an inordinate amount of money and we’re not concerned right now as it relates to education, but of course we’re monitoring what’s going on,” Jeanette Nunez said, adding that she’s more concerned about research funding cutbacks at the National Institutes of Health.
School board member Colucci said her school district will always seek to protect the programs and funding for special education. The issue right now is whether the Department of Education can deliver its services when half of its workforce has already been let go.
