By Esther Wickham | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Since the Trump administration’s moves to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, it has prompted a wide range of reactions from state education leaders nationwide.
The department announced this past week that six offices within the Department of Education will be transferred to four partner agencies: Health and Human Services, Labor, Interior and State.
That shift leaves them without key funding and oversight once provided by the federal agency, New York state education officials said.
New York Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, D-Bronx, warned the move could leave students with disabilities without safeguards.
“When federal protections weaken, it is our children with disabilities who are placed at the greatest risk,” Tapia said in a press release. “New York cannot wait for federal action; we have to make sure our students are protected right now.
Currently, for the 2025 fiscal year, New York state has a preliminary budget of $291 million in federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding.
In a Thursday press briefing, Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the dismantling effort, framing it as a restoration of state control. She also pushed back against critics.
“Anti-Trump voices are stirring up fear that returning education back to the states is a draconian action,” McMahon said. “Our final mission as a department is to fully empower the states … education is local, it should be seen locally.”
The Arizona Department of Education told The Center Square that Superintendent Tom Horne is “pleased with the administration’s work to move the work of education back to the states and addressing the needless bureaucracy of the federal department.”
The Arizona department is awaiting more details on how federal responsibilities will be reassigned and “ensure excellent service for Arizona schools, parents and students.”
California Superintendent Tony Thurmond criticized the plan, calling it inefficient and harmful to students in a statement to The Center Square.
“It is clearly less efficient for state departments of education and local school districts to work with four different federal agencies instead of one,” Thurmond said. “There is no way to avoid negative impacts on our children and our classrooms with a change of this magnitude.”
Thurmond also argued the administration lacks the authority to independently shift responsibilities without congressional approval.
The Nevada Department of Education told the Center Square it is monitoring the situation.
“We remain focused on our student-centered work and will evaluate the potential impact as more information becomes available,” the department said.
“Esther is an education reporter for The Center Square. Please email her at ewickham@thecentersquare.com for tips or questions.”