The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By John Felix.
This year Dr. Martin Luther King day coincides with inauguration day of the 47th president of the United States. For those of us who consider education a fundamental and social right, this rare occurrence of simultaneous MLK and Inauguration Day is noteworthy considering the staunch advocacy of MLK for education and potentially the beginning of the end of the U.S. Department of Education. Coincidentally, the “modern” day version of the department, originated in 1867, was established by the 39th president, whose recent passing may indeed signal the end of one of his signature achievements.
Per campaign promises and the reported cabinet choice to lead the Department of Education, whose purported mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages,” it’s likely that we’ll immediately witness the dismantling of the Department as we celebrate the accomplishments of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose myriad of significant contributions to our society included his unwavering strong advocacy for an educated America.
Is our Board of Education adequately prepared, financially and resource-wise, for the potential negative impact of the state’s 1.4 million and 62,000 students enrolled in its public and charter schools, respectively? I’m particularly concerned that the impact will be very destructive for our district’s 7,221 students,19.4 percent of whom are students with disabilities.
I urge the Franklin Township Board of Education president to proactively work with our schools Superintendent, the New Jersey Department of Education, as well as with elected officials to prepare for the campaign-promised elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, the framework of which is detailed in the “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.” Specifically, preparations for transitioning from Federal- to State-funded programs will require substantial planning and investment to mitigate demands outlined in the manifesto, which states that “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.”
Citing Milton Friedman economic principles, the manifesto argues that families should direct their children’s education via “Education Savings Accounts” which will be funded overwhelmingly by state and local taxpayers.
Although most of public school funding is state- and locally based, Congress codified into law two major funding sources which are administered by the Department of Education. These funding streams provide much needed assistance to schools for the education of some of our most vulnerable student bodies, namely (1) children with disabilities and (2) children of low-income families. Sadly, a consequence of dismantling the Department of Education is reportedly phasing out the support for low-income families within 10 years and replacing both funding streams with grants.
Despite campaign promises of the 47th president to dismantle the Department of Education, which has been a mainstay of the conservative platform, an act of Congress will be required to completely remove funding for the various federally funded educational programs. Hopefully, proactive measures can convince Congress to act in the best interest of the majority of students who are educated in public schools.
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