Education Secretary Defends Cuts that Could Impact Tennessee Schools
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. (Photo courtesy of Linda McMahon)
Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee pressed Education Secretary Linda McMahon for answers about cuts to her department’s spending on Tuesday.
The department’s proposed budget of more than $75 billion is billions less than last year’s spending plan.
Those cuts include roughly $400 million in programs that benefit migrant students and $220 million for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), which is designed to help rural school districts that may lack the personnel and resources to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants.
Sending More Power to the States
The cuts are part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and return more authority to the states.
During the hearing, McMahon argued that shifting education authority to the states would not reduce services or funding, that federal oversight could be replaced by block grants (fixed-sum, formula-based federal grants), and that states could administer programs “more efficiently.” She also emphasized that these measures would ensure parents have the final word on their children’s education.
“We are also expanding affordable, high-quality education options and restoring parents to their rightful role as the primary decision makers in their child's education,” McMahon said.
McMahon also promised an increase in IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funding for the 2027 fiscal year, from which Tennessee receives more than $300 million each year.
Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, pushed back on the cuts to REAP, claiming many small school districts don’t have grant writers to apply for grants and argued they lack the resources to fully take advantage of federal funding. She then raised concerns about the department’s plan to consolidate grant programs.
“From my perspective, consolidating 18 programs funded previously at $6.5 billion into one grant program funded at only $2 billion will undermine the goals of helping our K through 12 schools,” Collins said.
McMahon provided a rebuttal, arguing that consolidating the process into a single program with a formula-based distribution system will require all states to participate.
“While I acknowledge it is not as much money coming into a lot of the different programs, our assessment of many of these programs (has) been (that) they have lost their efficacy, and they're really not giving the returns that we had hoped to see for our rural schools,” McMahon said. “So, I really believe that in this consolidation effort, we have the opportunity for many more schools to take advantage of dollars and to be spent in the areas where they need them.”
Tennessee Context
In 2023, Tennessee lawmakers conducted hearings to review how federal dollars affect classrooms, curriculum, and state authority over education.
During those hearings, the Sycamore Institute presented analysis showing that Tennessee distributed more than $1.1 billion in federal funds to its school districts in 2019. It also found rural counties were more reliant on federal funds than urban counties, with some receiving more than 18 percent of revenue directly from federal education funds.
Republican leaders have largely supported President Trump’s plans for the U.S. Department of Education, including Governor Bill Lee, and leading gubernatorial candidates U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and Congressman John Rose.
