WASHINGTON (AP) — Governors of several Republican-led states are pushing the Trump administration to cut off the strings that accompany federal education aid. Dismantling the education department.
Iowa proposed this month as a test case, asking the education sector to integrate federal aid into a single grant with few spending requirements. The idea has not been supported by Congress in the past, but Iowa suggests that the Trump administration has the power to act alone.
Other Republican leaders are keen to follow. The Oklahoma Department of Education said it is “actively investigating comprehensive block grant solutions.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote an opinion piece last week in pursuit of the Block grant. Conservatives call it a natural next step in Trump’s promises shutdown Educational department and Gives more power to the state.
“Every state wants more flexibility and freedom,” said Jim Blue, a former education officer in Trump’s first term who called for the integration of education aid. “This is a complete block grant and no strings are attached.”
Dozens of other GOP-led states are planning to submit their own requests, said Blew, who currently co-leads the Institute for Freedom’s Defense for Policy Research.
The education sector charges billions of dollars per year on American public schools, but is divided into dozens of grants with different targets. The biggest one is Title I, using formulas to direct more money to schools where poverty is concentrated, while other programs focus on areas from Teacher training To a rural school.
For years, Republicans have pushed block grants as a way to reduce federal involvement in education. They say it will allow schools to save schools from troublesome reporting requirements and lead federal money to areas where they need it the most.
Opponents say the block grant will allow states to redirect money from groups of students who are currently targeting federal aid, heading towards low-income students, English learners and Republican priorities.
“Council has created grants for each of these for specific reasons to serve certain groups of students,” said Ivy Smith Morgan, a think tank defending education equity. “As time goes by, block grants reduce the connection thread between funding sources and specific group of students.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon condemned the “federal red tape” and said the state should be held responsible. When she was asked about the block grant Sunday on CNN’s “Status of the Union,” she said that a model has been proposed but federal aid for students with disabilities will not be integrated with Title I money.
“No, that’s another money, because they obviously have a responsibility to make sure the money reaches those students,” McMahon said.
In a March 7 proposal, Iowa education institutions asked the Department of Education for permission to consolidate 10 sources of funding into a single grant “district ‘locally managed’ in the district.” He said the current system will bring about “fragmented local investment.”
Iowa is also calling for the integration of federal aid given to states to help manage grants. It would help invest in state priorities, he said, and it includes closing the achievement gap. State officials declined to disclose the proposal, saying it would be revised based on feedback from the U.S. education sector rather than final.
The 10 grant programs that were attempted to be integrated include Title I, which offers more than $100 million a year to Iowa schools.
The U.S. Education Agency declined to comment on Iowa’s proposal.
During Trump’s first term, former education secretary Betsy DeVos proposed a budget that would combine K-12 money with the block grant, but was rejected with a bipartisan pushback. Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term, calls for Title I to be converted into block grants and phased out for more than a decade.
Iowa’s request calls on the education department to abandon some of the state’s requirements, instead of passing through Congress.
Laws governing federal funds for public schools – laws that will ensure that all students succeed — grant to the Secretary of Education authorities to waive certain provisions upon request from the state. Power was used during the Obama administration to allow states to deviate from the leftover children’s laws, with many states receiving exemptions and allowing academic exams to be suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Iowa’s request is considered to be the first request permit to integrate aid into block grants, and opponents say it’s a clear overstep. If your request is approved, you will almost certainly face legal challenges.
“This is politically unfeasible. Congress will not move here,” Morgan said.
Republican governors and lawmakers are promoting ideas in other states, including Ohio and Kansas. There, Congress passed a resolution this month urging the Trump administration to provide education aid as a block grant.
The Oklahoma Department of Education said it is exploring the idea of ”preparing for a big announcement that will reshape the way we approach education.” The officials did not explain in detail.
Some conservative-led states said they have no plans to pursue ideas, including Idaho.
The Iowa proposal pledges to support civil rights protections needed under federal law, including support for English learners, homeless students and other groups.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is a political newspaper, said the block grant “gives the state the flexibility to further expand the federal dollar, rather than following the directions of distant federal officials who don’t have the same visibility into the needs of states.”
Blue argued that the operation was legally sound, and he said there was a new political will to make it happen as the Trump administration tries to empower the nation.
“The most common way to do that is to turn your money into block grants,” Brude said.
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Associated Press authors Annie Ma and Heather Hollingsworth contributed to this report.
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