Education advocates in Central Florida are calling on the federal government to protect and fund public schools amidst widespread cuts to the U.S Department of Education.
At a lunch and learn Tuesday at the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association Hall in Orlando, dozens of advocates and teachers decried cuts to public education.
Headed by billionaire Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has already cut $1 billion from the U.S. Department of Education. Recently confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon in an email said she wants to “send education back to the states,” as the department’s “final mission.”
These changes have sparked concerns in Maria Revelles, the co-director of Mesa Boricua, an advocacy group for the Latin community. She’s also a mom of 6 and called on teachers and parents in Florida to stand up and fight back against these changes.
“The proposed education cuts are not just numbers. They are a direct attack on our children, especially those in low-income, rural and minority communities and we won’t stand for that,” said Revelles.
Vivian Lyte-Johnson, a former teacher in Michigan, and grandmother and great-grandmother to kids in Central Florida schools, echoed these sentiments. She said students of color and students with disabilities will be hurt the most by the gutting of the U.S. Department of Education and American public schools.
“Let’s be clear. These are kids in communities who already have fewer resources and underfunded schools, less access to counselors, larger class sizes, outdated materials and complete erasure of programs that help kids stay on track,” said Lyte-Johnson.
These students, she said, rely heavily on federal programs provided by public schools including free and reduced lunch, mentorship and jobs training, and Pell grants.
She said students with disabilities rely on the U.S. Department of Education to ensure they get the services they need to support federally mandated accommodations and modifications.
Orange County mom Judi Hayes said that’s why she’s worried about the future of her middle schooler with Down Syndrome, and other students like him.
“We’re seeing constant attacks on public education and my question is always what does that mean for kids like mine,” said Hayes.
She said her family has the resources to fight for her son’s educational rights. But worries about the families who don’t.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and U.S. Senator Rick Scott both support the federal government shuttering the U.S. Department of Education and returning the job of public education back to the states, which they say would be more efficient with funds.
President Trump can’t close the U.S. Department of Education without an act of Congress, but he can dismantle it and move funds and personnel to other departments.
Critics say if money is returned to Florida, more could wind up being funneled into the state’s voucher program, which pulls resources from public schools. So far, more than 500,000 kids are currently enrolled in the voucher program, a record number, and there's also been a record number of applications for the latest round of vouchers.
DeSantis highlighted the state’s voucher program at his State of the State address on Tuesday, touting the state as a leader in school choice which he says has changed lives.
One of his guests at the address was Harli McCullough, whose son, Thorne, is a recipient of a voucher for students with disabilities.
“Our universal school choice program works—families and students have benefitted, and the academic bar has been raised throughout the state,” said DeSantis. “It is a great testament to the Legislature that Florida was [one of the] first states to enact such an ambitious and far-reaching choice program.”
Watch: Governor Ron DeSantis talks about education at the State of the State Address.
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