Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)
(Washington, DC) – U.S, Representative Ed Case (Hawai’i-First) today decried President Trump’s effort to abolish the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) as “one of the broadest and deepest and outright shortsighted and heartless of many attacks on the foundations of our society to date.”
“Education, especially our collective centuries-old commitment to a free education for all, is one of the most basic building blocks of our success as a country,” said Case. “It is a core part of the American Dream, the great equalizer of our society, providing all with the building blocks of success as well as the shared experience of our democracy.”
Case continued: “Our federal government has been an integral part of our commitment since the earliest years of our country, and the USDOE, as a stand-alone cabinet-level department appropriate to its importance, has been the law of our land since 1980. Its dismantling, and the real underlying purpose to eliminate any federal funding for education, would cause severe harm on a broad scale that would have lasting effects not just immediately but for generations.
“This action, which is not only heartless, not only selfish since its real intent is to cut taxes for those that have benefited the most from that foundation already, not only the worst public policy, is also illegal since it is contrary to existing law.
“If the President wants to come to Congress to discuss and debate real improvements to the USDOE, realignments including reductions to the USDOE’s mission and transfers of responsibility to state and local governments and communities in an ordered way, changes in federal funding, or any other aspect of federal efforts in education throughout our country, that would be a debate well worth having. But, like many other of his actions, their real intent is not to improve in a responsible manner but to destroy irresponsibly and in many cases unconstitutionally and illegally, and that should not be acceptable to any citizen.
Some Hawai’i-specific statistics from USDOE on federal support for Hawai’i public education and the broader benefits of education follow:
Supporting over 178,000 kids across 200 Hawaii K-12 schools
· $72 million for Title I schools—which serve over 104,000 students—to guarantee every public school receives adequate funding and our kids have what they need to get ahead.
· $55 million for 20,000 of our kids who receive help like speech services, reading support or other assistance to get to appropriate grade levels, to ensure accessibility for students with disabilities.
· $7 million to ensure our schools are safe and teach life skills (through programs like career counseling), to set our kids up for success beyond the classroom.
· $6.5 million for before- and after-school programs to support working parents and for clubs and sports to help our kids lead well-rounded lives.
· $3.3 million to support students learning English.
· $50 million to support students in military families or on Native American reservations.
Estimated cuts to services supporting our kids: $193.8 million
Developing our workforce
· $13 million for career and technical education, including pathways to jobs through apprenticeship programs in traditional trades or STEM careers.
· $9.3 million to ensure people who want a job— including those with disabilities—have the skills and access to the services they need to help them find a job.
Estimated cuts to services supporting our workers: $22.3 million
Investing in two- and four-year colleges and trade development
· $5 billion in federal student loans, supporting over 123,000 Hawaii residents pursuing education beyond a high school diploma, including first-generation college students.
· $81 million in Pell grants, ensuring over 16,000 students can pursue a college degree regardless of income status.
· $24 million to support students enrolled in Hawaii’s 13 minority-serving institutions, such as a historically Black college or university, a Hispanic – serving institution, a tribal college or university, or an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution.
· $12 million to help underrepresented students succeed including those who are the first in their families to attend college, are from lower-income households or have disabilities.
Estimated cuts to services supporting our continuing students: $5.12 billion
Improving our schools and strengthening our communities
· $765,000 to support our kids’ mental health and learning needs, including hiring more reading coaches, parent liaisons, counselors and psychologists.
· $1.6 million to address the teacher shortage by recruiting new teachers and support staff, continuing to train current employees, and keeping those who already serve our kids.
Estimated cuts to services supporting our communities: $2.4 million
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