“Abdication and Abandonment”

That’s what AFT President Randi Weingarten calls the Federal Administration’s plan to move many functions of the Department of Education to other agencies. Weingarten makes the argument that the initiative is being taken under the guise of slashing red tape, when the opposite is taking place.

“If that were the goal, teachers could help them do it, and we invite Donald Trump and Linda McMahon to sit down with educators and hear from the people who actually do this work every day. Teachers know. How to make the federal role more effective, efficient and supportive of real learning – if only the administration would listen.”

The move would have massive implications across all academic levels, with particular impact accessing higher education through loans and grants. Jaylon Herbin, director of federal policy at the Center for Responsible Learning, notes how the fallout could harm those most vulnerable.

“Stripping the department of essential oversight functions will leave low-income borrowers and borrowers of color without the federal safeguards designed to shield them from abuse, discrimination and predatory practices,” says Herbin. “This action not only erodes [Education Department’s] authority but jeopardizes vital work such as investigating borrower complaints, monitoring predatory institutions and providing affordable repayment plans and relief.”

As educators, it is our duty and responsibility to fight for the highest standards of education for all students, not just a select few. The administration’s efforts undermine the foundational principles on which we build our careers. FAMCO stands in solidarity with Weingarten, Herbin, and the scores of others who believe that the future generations of our country and world deserve the very best educations and institutions available, and this move is antithetical to that goal.