FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – Educators gathered in Fairview Heights to talk about the potential effects they would face if the Department of Education is eliminated.
On Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski hosted a roundtable for teachers to share their stories, ask questions, and talk about concerns following President Donald Trump’s calls to dismantle the Department of Education and his nomination of Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education.
“Why we wanted to host this event today is I think it’s important for constituents to understand what the Department of Education does, what it means when a big agency like that is dismantled,” Budzinski said. “It means…much larger class sizes, fewer teachers, fewer resources for special needs students and elimination of summer programs. So people need to understand the impact is real and it’s local. It’s not this abstract Washington, D.C. jargon. This is going to really negatively impact our communities.”
Illinois receives almost $800 million in Title I funding from the Department of Education. Title I provides supplemental funding to school districts with high numbers of low-income students. About 17,000 teaching positions in Illinois are funded with Title I funds.
The Department of Education helps fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Grant money. Illinois received over $600 million in these funds in Financial Year 2024, and 86% of that money went to public schools and special education cooperatives.
The Department of Education also manages student loan debt, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Pell Grants.
During the roundtable on Feb. 17, Budzinski invited the teachers to speak about their concerns. Many local teachers shared the impact of Title I funds on their classrooms. A few teachers pointed out that they are already underpaid, and a lack of Title I funds would eliminate their positions. Budzinski commented on the “fear” that many of these teachers expressed.
“This would be devastating to public education in Illinois, and so we’re just here to hear the stories of those that are on the front lines,” she said. “A lot of the teachers that are teaching, especially in special needs classrooms, are already strapped for resources to provide the care and the education that these students need. To think, for them, that they would actually be having to do more with even less is, I think, terrifying.”
Cyndi Oberle-Dahm, Secretary-Treasurer of Illinois Federation of Teachers, explained that Title I funds are allocated for each low-income student in a district. These funds are then used to hire staff members like paraprofessionals, literacy coaches, and special education teachers.
Oberle-Dahm and Budzinski also spoke about privatization. They believe that Trump and McMahon want to privatize education, which they warned against.
“When you have these schools that are school-choice schools, you have noncertified staff, so basically, anybody could be hired,” Oberle-Dahm said. “These schools can also deny any student. They can deny a special ed student, so a student who has an individualized education plan could be denied. Public schools are the great safeguard and bastion of America. I think that is ultimately the president’s and the new Secretary of Education’s goal. But those schools would be a catastrophe for America.”
Budzinski, Oberle-Dahm, Illinois AFL-CIO Union President Tim Drea and other teachers in attendance urged the community to call their representatives and speak against the dismantling of the Department of Education. All speakers expressed their disagreement with the Trump administration’s plan, and many also spoke against the appointment of McMahon.
Kendrick Evans, a special education teacher and member of Local 1220, noted that the Title I and IDEA funding are important parts of public education. He encouraged people to think of the future.
