Congressmen Cleaver, Scott Hold Listening Session With Local Educators on President Trump’s Attempt to Dismantle the Department of Education

(Kansas City, MO) – This weekend, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) hosted House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) in Kansas City to participate in a listening session with local educators and community leaders to discuss President Trump’s attempt to dismantle the Department of Education and to hear firsthand how cuts to public education funding and personnel will impact the communities we serve. With the support of House Republicans, President Donald Trump has announced an executive order that purports to eliminate the Department of Education, which is only possible through an act of Congress.

“This weekend I had the privilege of hosting Ranking Member Bobby Scott in Kansas City to hear from educators throughout Missouri’s Fifth District about the devastating consequences the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the Department of Education would have on students, teachers, and families,” said Congressman Cleaver. “It is abundantly clear: eroding this critical institution means students and teachers will suffer. Our educators, parents, and children deserve a government that invests in their success – not one that undermines their future. I’m committed to fighting to strengthen and protect every child’s right to a quality education.”

“This weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Kansas City and hearing from Rep. Cleaver’s constituents. The Department of Education (ED) was founded in part to guarantee the enforcement of students’ civil rights.  And champions of public school segregation objected and campaigned for a return to ‘states’ rights.’ Moreover,  during President Trump’s first term in office, he nominated dozens of judges who during their confirmation hearings refused to say whether they thought Brown v. Board was properly decided,” Ranking Member Scott, House Committee on Education and Workforce. “Legality aside, dismantling ED will exacerbate existing disparities, reduce accountability, and put low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, rural students, and English as a Second Language (ESL) students at risk.  I believe this executive order will be used to distract Americans from the fact that Republicans are not working to address the real problems facing students and families: widening academic achievement gaps, school shootings, and the burden of student loans.”

Dismantling the Department of Education would mean a funding cut for every student:

• 26 million kids across every school district – rural, suburban, and urban – will lose access to critical funding to help them get ahead.
• 12 million students will lose access to career and technical education, including pathways to well-paying jobs through apprenticeship programs in trades or STEM
• 10 million students from low-income families could lose access to two-and four-year colleges due to costs
• 7.5 million students with Individualized Education Plans – accounting for 15 percent of all students nationally – will lose access to special education service funding.

Dismantling the Department of Education means eliminating federal efforts to ensure equal educational opportunities for all, federal support to school districts, states, and institutions of higher education, civil rights enforcement in our schools, and educational research to support best practices for educational attainment at all levels. 

A fact sheet from the event can be found here.

Photos from the event can be found here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.