the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the U.S. Department of Education has been under fire, with President Donald Trump leading the charge to shut it down or drastically reduce its influence. Critics argue that despite over $1 trillion in spending, student performance has stagnated or declined.
The History of the Education Department
Founded in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the Department of Education was seen as a nod to teachers’ unions. However, over the decades, critics argue that federal intervention in education has done little to improve results.
- K-12 spending has surged, yet test scores remain stagnant.
- The federal student loan program has ballooned, creating a debt crisis.
- Catholic and private schools achieve better results while spending far less per student.
Trump’s Proposal: Cut the Bureaucracy, Empower Parents
Trump has floated the idea of redirecting education funding directly to states—or better yet, to parents. The goal? Reduce bureaucracy and give families more control over their children’s education.
Texas Declares an “Education Emergency”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently made headlines by declaring an “education emergency.” He called on the state legislature to pass a $1 billion universal school choice bill, stating:
“Government-mandated schools cannot meet the unique needs of every student.”
Abbott’s move aligns with a growing push for school choice—giving parents the ability to use tax dollars for private, charter, or alternative schooling options.
School Choice: A Divisive Debate
While conservatives champion school choice as a way to rescue students from failing schools, opponents argue that it diverts funds away from public schools.
Democratic State Rep. Gene Wu criticized the plan, claiming it benefits the wealthy. However, critics point out that Wu attended private school and sends his own children to one—raising questions about hypocrisy.
What’s Next for American Education?
With plummeting test scores and growing dissatisfaction with public education, the debate over federal vs. state control will only intensify. Will more states follow Texas in declaring an education emergency? Could Trump’s push to dismantle the Department of Education become reality?
🔥 What do you think? Should the federal government step back and let states—or parents—control education funding? Let us know in the comments!
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School choice would not solve this and is wrong for many reasons that have often been written about.
school choice will solve all education inequalities , the only people who don’t like it is the teachers unions
If your kid is an unmotivated mutant it doesn’t matter where you send them.
My tax dollars should not have to pay for your child’s private school education. It’s bad enough that I have to pay for your child’s public school education. You have the kids, you should pay for their education. Just a thought.
but its Ok for my property tax to pay for your snot nosed kid ,in sub par public schools
I don’t have kids in public schools , so that means you are going to be refunding me the public school portion of those taxes, unlike Paramus I’ll take cash
public education is about teachers and teacher jobs , nothing to do with education
It would be nice to have a little bit of a discount on property tax for homes that don’t utilize the public schools.
It would be fairly simple to compare student addresses versus the tax rolls.