Statement by the statewide, non-partisan coalition, Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity, on planned changes to U.S. Department of Education

Since his election, President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The new U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in her first hours in the role this week sent an email to staff titled “Our Department’s Final Mission.” In that memo she said her vision is “aligned with the President’s: to send education back to the states.” 

The U.S. Department of Education plays impactful roles in the public education of 1.4 million Michigan students of all backgrounds in traditional public and charter schools. The following is a statement by the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity (MPEO), a non-partisan, statewide coalition made of business, non-profit, philanthropic and civic leaders from across the state of Michigan who champion making Michigan a top ten education state for all groups of students and ensuring opportunity for every Michigan student, no matter their zip code. 

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There is much at stake for vulnerable students in Michigan. Our organizations jointly urge the federal government to ensure that the U.S. Department of Education continues to play its essential roles in state public education systems. These essential roles include providing funding to address gaps in school funding, especially for vulnerable student groups; serving as a watchdog; and supporting transparency and accountability in states’ public education systems so that all families have honest and accurate information about school performance and student learning outcomes. 

“Schools and districts cannot begin to solve educational problems without honest information and data,” said West Michigan business leader Mike Jandernoa, founder of 42 North Partners and an MPEO tri-chair. “Parents and families deserve and need this information about their children’s public schools and their children’s learning outcomes, as do educators and policymakers in order to improve how public schools serve their students.” 

Michigan’s low-income students and students with disabilities of every geographic region are among the students with the most at stake as the Trump administration looks to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. More than half of Michigan’s students — over 717,000 students — are from low-income backgrounds here in Michigan. The federal government provides Michigan about $580 million in funding – called Title I funding – to support students and public schools alike. In Michigan, it is the equivalent of about 13,570 entry-level teacher positions.     

“As we carefully assess the potential effects of the changes, we urge state and federal leaders to ensure the U.S. Department of Education continues to play its essential roles for our state’s students,” said Amber Arellano, Executive Director, EdTrust-Midwest, one of the tri-chairs of the MPEO. “Title I funding is vital for both traditional public and charter schools in rural, suburban and urban towns and cities from Monroe to Marquette. Other federal roles — from ensuring transparency and accountability to supporting educator development — also are critical to the nation’s success and future.” 

The federal government plays an important role by addressing school funding gaps for states to address students’ needs. Indeed, in Michigan, federal funding comprised 13.8% of K-12 education funding in fiscal year 2023. Consider that in the 2024-25 school year:

• Utica Community Schools in western Macomb County received over $4 million in federal Title I dollars.
• Kentwood Public Schools on the west side of the state near Grand Rapids received nearly $2.5 million in Title I funding.
• Morley Stanwood Community Schools, located between Muskegon and Cadillac, received roughly $686,000 in federal Title I dollars.
• Battle Creek Public Schools, where over 70% of students are from low-income backgrounds in this district on the west side of the state, received nearly $3.4 million in federal Title I dollars. 

The order leaves it uncertain whether these crucial funds will continue to flow to vulnerable students in Michigan and other states. However, eliminating this funding altogether is not the only possible action being considered that could be taken by the Trump administration. Another option could be to turn Title I funds into block grants to school districts that lack the accountability and assurances to make sure the dollars will reach the students for whom they are intended.  These types of grants also lack transparency and accountability provisions to ensure Michigan’s families and leaders can track the dollars and monitor them so that these important federal funds are being used for appropriate educational purposes. 

“The federal government’s role as a watchdog is particularly important in Michigan to ensure services are being met for all students, which is especially important for students with disabilities,” said Colleen M. Allen, Ph.D., President & CEO, Autism Alliance of MI. “It provides an important voice for parents, students and families when local school systems do not meet their needs or even disregard them. Federal oversight incentivizes districts to pay attention to and improve academic performance for all of their students. Without this oversight, schools may not be held accountable for meeting all students’ needs. Furthermore, dollars could be spent without any requirement that they be used for the services — and the students — for which they are intended.”    

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the U.S. Department of Education also provides $15 billion to states to fund students with disabilities with the intent that they receive the education, support and services they are entitled to. These funds are critical for development and implementation of students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), which can include specialized instruction and learning environments, behavioral services and/or additional staff to support inclusion in the least restrictive environment, for example.    

Just as with Title I, oversight for the use of IDEA funds may disappear or soften if the Trump administration dismantles the U.S. Department of Education or turns funding allotted for students with disabilities into a series of block grants to states that lack accountability and transparency. Either action could negatively impact the funding and services for more than 217,000 students with disabilities in the state. 

A recent federal investigation into the Michigan Department of Education, for example, found the state systematically violated the rights of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 school closures. The investigation determined students with disabilities “did not receive the services and instruction they were entitled to under federal anti-discrimination laws.”  In a state where the four-year high school graduation rate is 61% for Michigan’s students with disabilities and 73% for students from low-income backgrounds, the federal watchdog function is an essential one. 

“Without federal oversight, states like Michigan may fail to provide vulnerable students of different backgrounds with the educational environments they deserve,” Allen said.  

It’s also crucial that the U.S. Department of Education does not diminish its role to ensure families have honest information and data about student outcomes and public schools’ performance. Currently, the U.S. Department of Education collects and analyzes student performance data, which helps to ensure that schools are held accountable for serving all students. These accountability requirements to report subgroup performance were enacted during the former U.S. President George W. Bush administration. They have since resulted in greater scrutiny and accountability for states and school districts to serve all of their students, regardless of disability, income, race, gender and more.    

“The U.S. Department of Education’s role in the support for and oversight of public schools is essential,” Jandernoa said. “It is investing in American students, as well as in America’s economic strength and global competitiveness.” 

“At an urgent moment in the lives of American and Michigan students, particularly our most vulnerable students and those who have been long underserved, we urge the federal government to continue to provide its critical funding, support, data, transparency and oversight,” said Alice Thompson, chair of the NAACP Detroit branch education committee and a tri-chair of the MPEO. “This is a time to redouble our efforts for our nation’s students and reinvest in our public education system. The health of our nation itself will depend on how we care for and support all of our students.” 

Recent national data showing Michigan students’ woeful educational recovery from the pandemic underscores the need to continue to track and benchmark student performance and then invest in research-based strategies based on data. Michigan has long underfunded the needs of students from low-income backgrounds compared to what leading states practice and what research indicates is needed for those students to succeed, even with recent progress. In 2023, Michigan ranked 20th out of 28 states with similar funding systems for the additional funding for students from low-income backgrounds. 

About The Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity (MPEO) 

The Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity (MPEO) is a non-partisan, statewide coalition made of business, non-profit, philanthropic and civic leaders from across the state of Michigan who champion making Michigan a top ten education state for all groups of students and ensuring opportunity for every Michigan student, no matter their zip code.