Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine gives the State of the State address in the Ohio House chambers at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio Republicans praised President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined other Republican governors in attending Trump’s signing of the executive order Thursday afternoon at the White House. The executive order does not automatically close the department since eliminating a federal agency requires congressional approval.
“I joined President Trump and several fellow governors at the White House in support of the president’s proposal to return education back to the states,” DeWine said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “By giving states more authority over education, we will have the flexibility to focus our effort on tailoring an educational experience that is best for our children and meets Ohio’s needs, rather than trying to chase federal priorities.”
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce said the department agrees with DeWine’s statement, said ODEW spokesperson Lacey Snoke.
DEW agrees with Governor DeWine’s statement following yesterday’s announcement.
Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said Trump’s executive order is long overdue.
“Education policy belongs in the states and the federal government’s ‘one size fits all’ meddling has hurt our country for decades,” McColley said in a statement. “President Trump’s order will allow our 50 laboratories of democracy to deliver innovative solutions that meet each state’s unique needs.”
The Department of Education was established as a cabinet-level agency by Congress in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter and it doesn’t determine what is taught in schools. Instead, learning standards are set at the state level and curriculum is adopted by local school boards.
The department allocates Title I funds, which are federal funds given to school districts with a high percentage of low-income students, and administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law guaranteeing a free public education for children with disabilities.
Ohio school districts on average receive about 10% of their revenue from the federal government, Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said. About 90% of Ohio students attended public school during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
“Every single student in Ohio will pay the price for the move to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education,” DiMauro said in a statement. “Any measures to stop the vital work of Department employees to serve Ohio’s students or to reduce federal education funding will cause terrible harm to our students, our state, and our future.”
About 16% of Ohio public school students had a disability during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Ohio education department.
“Anyone who cares for a child who has struggled in school because of a disability or had to advocate for access to school services or opportunities should be concerned with the actions of the federal and state governments, regardless of political affiliation or how one voted in the last election,” Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Hannah Halbert said in a statement.
Abolishing the Department of Education will mean chaos and uncertainty for Ohio schools, Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper said.
“The need for federal funding and support for public education will be even more critical if our upcoming state budget cuts school funding, as Governor DeWine’s own budget proposal does with $103 million in cuts to public school districts,” she said in a statement.
The department announced earlier this month that about half of its staff was going to be laid off as part of the department’s “final mission.”
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