Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A total of sixteen point q billion dollars in education funds,
which were approved by Congress and margin signed it a
law under President Trump, have not been released to school districts.
The funding targeted at school districts to support children's before
and after school programs, English language learning, migrant education, academic richment,
and professional development of staff and teachers.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And the Supreme Court's decision earlier this week allows the
Trump administration to conduct mass layoffs set the Department of
Ed and renewing concerns that gutting the agency will further
marginalize the nation's multi vulnerable younger people. Joining us now
on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline is Associate Professor
of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of
Northern Colorado. It's professor Michael Cohen. Thank you so much
(00:40):
for your time again this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I know, last time we chatted, we talked a little
bit about what felt like a theory of dismantling the
Department of Education and sending it back to the States.
But now seeing a little bit more movement and action
on this. What are your initial thoughts.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yes, I think that you know what I think I
said earlier when we had talked about this, was that
even if the President can't get Congress to dismantle the Department,
that he might attempt to hollow it out from the inside,
which is exactly what he's doing here. The department is
about half of its size in terms of its workforce
(01:17):
than it was you know, before President Trump took office,
and so the agency has been hit with cuts in
every division of it. So you know, we're looking at,
instead of dismantling it, firing the people that do its work.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Professor, the money that's being withheld eighty million of a
tag for Colorado, setting aside whether or not constitutionally it's
legal because it's already been appropriate or funded by Congress.
Is there any physical sense to you and withholding it
or is there something else about what it specifically targets.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Well, the administration hasn't really even said much about why
it's been withheld. The hints are there because in the
fiscal year twenty twenty six budget, these funds have been
recommended to be cut, and so it appears that the
President might be trying to, you know, effectively, you know,
make these cuts earlier before they're approved by Congress. But
(02:14):
in terms of fiscal sense, no, I mean, we're looking
at about eighty million dollars being with helped for Colorado,
and I think it's I think it's interesting that bipartisan
there's been bipartisan support to get these funds back to
the states. We had ten Republican senators speak out just
(02:34):
yesterday and wrote a letter to the Trump administration to
release the funds and saying that they be able to
harm students, you know, families, local economies if they're withheld.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Professor earlier, when you talked about hallowing the department from
the inside, it's really an analogy that we're seeing come
to light right now.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So when we look at this, could.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
The Department of Education become such a skeleton agency that
Congress would eventually just give in and say, Okay, yes,
maybe we'll dismantle this entirely. It'll be easier to divvy
up what's left and give it to other departments.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Well, that's a great question, because I think this is
sometimes appears that leads to be the strategy. Sometimes when
you want to dismantle something in government, you can really
make it so that you know, it's hard for them
to actually do the work that they have been charged
to do, and then the agency itself loses legitimacy because
(03:29):
it can't get its work done and it becomes easier
to cut programs. And I think we've seen that for
a long time in the public sector. In public education.
You can blame it for not doing the job that
it's supposed to do, but you haven't funded it well
enough to begin with, so it loses its legitimacy.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
You're a policy studies guy in the realm, an expert.
Has there ever been what some say is central control,
a top down education guidance from the Department of Education,
or have those decisions always been left to the individuals
about how and what they teach.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yes, it's always been left to individual states. I mean,
we've had major federal legislation like No Child Left Behind
and its successor Every Student Succeeds Act, which we live
under now, but still in the end, it's the states
and local districts that decide what curriculum is taught and how.
(04:23):
The department doesn't have any power over that. What it
does is it administers students financially for higher education. They
investigate civil rights alleged civil rights violations, they research what
works in education, so it's really it has a more
supportive role than top down control.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
With the minute we have left when we look at this,
if the dismantling and the Department of Education moves forward,
and eventually we have pretty much nothing left to it,
and it's up to.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
The states to decide.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Will we see a change when it comes to just
overall education. Would it be noticeable for teachers and students
that things have changed?
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know, I think these particular funds that have been cut,
I think it will be noticeable. And I was just like,
the first people that I think of are English language
learners because programs programming for them has been cut drastically
or is being recommended to be cut in fiscally year
twenty six, but is being withheld right now. Support for
(05:22):
effective instructions, a professional development for teachers, Yeah, we're going
to feel that instructional coaches are going to lose their jobs.
And I think it's interesting that, you know, for the
last twenty years, we've been hearing over and over and
this is true that the most important in school fact
or influencing student success is the teacher. And so we've
been supporting professional development for teachers, and now we're pulling
(05:44):
back for Colorado. This means twenty six million dollars about
that we're withholding right now to support effective instruction to
help students meet academic standards.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
He is the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. It's Michael Cohen.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Thank you, thank you.
A total of sixteen point q billion dollars in education funds,
which were approved by Congress and margin signed it a
law under President Trump, have not been released to school districts.
The funding targeted at school districts to support children's before
and after school programs, English language learning, migrant education, academic richment,
and professional development of staff and teachers.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And the Supreme Court's decision earlier this week allows the
Trump administration to conduct mass layoffs set the Department of
Ed and renewing concerns that gutting the agency will further
marginalize the nation's multi vulnerable younger people. Joining us now
on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline is Associate Professor
of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of
Northern Colorado. It's professor Michael Cohen. Thank you so much
(00:40):
for your time again this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I know, last time we chatted, we talked a little
bit about what felt like a theory of dismantling the
Department of Education and sending it back to the States.
But now seeing a little bit more movement and action
on this. What are your initial thoughts.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yes, I think that you know what I think I
said earlier when we had talked about this, was that
even if the President can't get Congress to dismantle the Department,
that he might attempt to hollow it out from the inside,
which is exactly what he's doing here. The department is
about half of its size in terms of its workforce
(01:17):
than it was you know, before President Trump took office,
and so the agency has been hit with cuts in
every division of it. So you know, we're looking at,
instead of dismantling it, firing the people that do its work.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Professor, the money that's being withheld eighty million of a
tag for Colorado, setting aside whether or not constitutionally it's
legal because it's already been appropriate or funded by Congress.
Is there any physical sense to you and withholding it
or is there something else about what it specifically targets.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Well, the administration hasn't really even said much about why
it's been withheld. The hints are there because in the
fiscal year twenty twenty six budget, these funds have been
recommended to be cut, and so it appears that the
President might be trying to, you know, effectively, you know,
make these cuts earlier before they're approved by Congress. But
(02:14):
in terms of fiscal sense, no, I mean, we're looking
at about eighty million dollars being with helped for Colorado,
and I think it's I think it's interesting that bipartisan
there's been bipartisan support to get these funds back to
the states. We had ten Republican senators speak out just
(02:34):
yesterday and wrote a letter to the Trump administration to
release the funds and saying that they be able to
harm students, you know, families, local economies if they're withheld.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Professor earlier, when you talked about hallowing the department from
the inside, it's really an analogy that we're seeing come
to light right now.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So when we look at this, could.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
The Department of Education become such a skeleton agency that
Congress would eventually just give in and say, Okay, yes,
maybe we'll dismantle this entirely. It'll be easier to divvy
up what's left and give it to other departments.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Well, that's a great question, because I think this is
sometimes appears that leads to be the strategy. Sometimes when
you want to dismantle something in government, you can really
make it so that you know, it's hard for them
to actually do the work that they have been charged
to do, and then the agency itself loses legitimacy because
(03:29):
it can't get its work done and it becomes easier
to cut programs. And I think we've seen that for
a long time in the public sector. In public education.
You can blame it for not doing the job that
it's supposed to do, but you haven't funded it well
enough to begin with, so it loses its legitimacy.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
You're a policy studies guy in the realm, an expert.
Has there ever been what some say is central control,
a top down education guidance from the Department of Education,
or have those decisions always been left to the individuals
about how and what they teach.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yes, it's always been left to individual states. I mean,
we've had major federal legislation like No Child Left Behind
and its successor Every Student Succeeds Act, which we live
under now, but still in the end, it's the states
and local districts that decide what curriculum is taught and how.
(04:23):
The department doesn't have any power over that. What it
does is it administers students financially for higher education. They
investigate civil rights alleged civil rights violations, they research what
works in education, so it's really it has a more
supportive role than top down control.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
With the minute we have left when we look at this,
if the dismantling and the Department of Education moves forward,
and eventually we have pretty much nothing left to it,
and it's up to.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
The states to decide.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Will we see a change when it comes to just
overall education. Would it be noticeable for teachers and students
that things have changed?
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know, I think these particular funds that have been cut,
I think it will be noticeable. And I was just like,
the first people that I think of are English language
learners because programs programming for them has been cut drastically
or is being recommended to be cut in fiscally year
twenty six, but is being withheld right now. Support for
(05:22):
effective instructions, a professional development for teachers, Yeah, we're going
to feel that instructional coaches are going to lose their jobs.
And I think it's interesting that, you know, for the
last twenty years, we've been hearing over and over and
this is true that the most important in school fact
or influencing student success is the teacher. And so we've
been supporting professional development for teachers, and now we're pulling
(05:44):
back for Colorado. This means twenty six million dollars about
that we're withholding right now to support effective instruction to
help students meet academic standards.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
He is the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. It's Michael Cohen.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Thank you, thank you.
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