Christ

 

Also, I read that the woman on the banner was an anti-suffragist.

The answer is "No"

 

Linda McMahon has no business running the Department of Education.  She should stick to promoting wrestling.  And she could probably fully open her eyes if she took off those ridiculous fake lashes.

UPDATE 06/04/2025:  Just pathetic.

She doesn't seem to know who Ruby Bridges is, either.

Poor Linda is not doing well.

I believe that is North Carolina's Alma Adams on the left, and I just want to say that I am here for that amazing hat.

Also, for that poster, they should have switched to black text in the highlighted part.

I missed my calling as critic.

States' resistance in education

In a letter sent April 3, the administration gave state education chiefs 10 days to sign a certification saying they’re complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race-based discrimination in federally funded programs.

[...]

That same day, three federal judges issued separate rulings that significantly limit the Trump administration’s ability to enforce the orders and withhold federal funding from states and districts that don’t comply.

[...]

[T]he certification makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education considers the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion—which it doesn’t specifically define—to be a potential violation of the anti-discrimination law. It argues that the act of treating people differently based on their race, or programs that “advantage one’s race over another,” constitute an “illegal DEI practice,” citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to overturn the legality of affirmative action policies that allowed universities to consider race as a factor in college admissions decisions.

The department initially gave states 10 days to respond, but extended the deadline to April 24.

[...]

17 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have said they intend to sign the certification, according to an Education Week tally. Nineteen states have declined to sign the certification. The remaining states either are still reviewing the certification and haven’t indicated their intentions or haven’t yet made public comments on the matter.

The 17 states that intend to sign the certification break down the following way in terms of partisan control: In 13 states, Republicans control the executive and legislative branches; and in four states, Republicans and Democrats split control of the two branches.

  Education Week

(They shouldn't have used red and blue for this graph.)

Hard to believe Missouri declined to sign. Missouri is big MAGA. and along with Utah and Vermont (both of which declined to sign) has a Republican governor.   It's readily obvious that education in the South is going to be substandard in the future. Perhaps it's their state's rights attitude that causes them to buck the order, because it certainly isn't their disagreement with banning DEI teaching.

Private schools will see an increase in enrollment.  And that will be fine with Republicans.

Education Week previously characterized Maryland and Missouri as intending to sign based on prior communications from state education departments and in media reports.

[...]

A spokesperson for the Utah state board of education told news station KJZZ the state will develop its own response outlining state laws and rules that hold districts “accountable for anti-discrimination.” The state, for example, has a DEI ban that took effect last year barring practices such as diversity trainings, equity audits, and DEI offices at schools and colleges.

[...]

In Vermont, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders on April 14 sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education certifying the state’s compliance with Title VI while pushing back against the federal request to certify that schools are not using “illegal DEI practices” and other provisions. The Green Mountain State’s certification “does not incorporate any other Executive Orders, memoranda, or guidance materials or the undefined language regarding ‘certain DEI practices’ or ‘illegal DEI’ in the Request for Certification,” Saunders wrote.

“Indeed, the Department’s own guidance affirms that ‘DEI’ practices are lawful,” the letter continued. "... And schools may employ staff whose titles include ‘DEI Coordinator’ because schools have important obligations, including Title VI obligations, to foster welcoming and equitable learning opportunities for students of all races, and to respond to allegations of racial harassment.”

Vermont is just asking for trouble.

Some of those declining to sign the federal certification have questioned the Education Department’s authority to request such a certification and noted that districts already routinely certify their compliance with civil rights laws as a condition of receiving federal money.

“We will not sign additional certifications that lack authority, lack clarity, or are an assault on the autonomy of states and local school districts by misapplying a higher education admissions case,” said Chris Reykdal, Washington state’s education chief, in an April 8.

[...]

Some also raised concerns about the abrupt nature of the department’s request, which came with no comment period or advance notice.

“At best, the Reminder and Request appears to be redundant,” wrote Benjamin Jones, general counsel for the Wisconsin Department of Instruction. “At worst, the Reminder and Request appears to be unauthorized, unlawful, and unconstitutionally vague.”statement.

Kentucky has a unique answer...

The state gave districts until April 18 to sign their own certifications, but said it will propose that the federal office for civil rights take no enforcement action against districts that don’t sign “on the grounds that the Certification Form does not comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,” [Education Commissioner Robbie] Fletcher wrote to superintendents, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Perhaps they will be allowed to file online.

The nation’s two largest teachers’ unions separately sued the department [...] and they have both since added challenges to the certification letter to their lawsuits. Both are [asking] judges to stop the federal agency from enforcing the February memo and the certification requirement. The NAACP launched a third legal challenge.

[...]

On April 10, the department agreed as part of the National Education Association’s lawsuit in federal court in New Hampshire to halt any enforcement of either the February Dear Colleague letter or the latest certification requirement until after April 24.

“This pause in enforcement provides immediate relief to schools across the country while the broader legal challenge continues,” the NEA press release announcing the agreement said.

The U.S. Department of Labor under Trump has also drawn legal challenges for an executive order requiring grant recipients to sign a certification letter similar to the one sent to states and K-12 schools.

In blocking part of that order, a judge said plaintiffs who challenged it were likely to succeed in arguing that the order is unconstitutionally vague and violates free speech rights.

Trump 2.0 - Dismantling the country

Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, an agency Republicans have talked about closing for decades.

The order says Education Secretary Linda McMahon will, “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.”

Eliminating the department altogether would be a cumbersome task, which likely would require an act of Congress.

  Chicago Tribune

"Likely" is doing a lot of work there. They can dismantle, and good luck to you trying to remantle.

In the weeks since he took office, the Trump administration already has cut the department’s staff in half and overhauled much of the department’s work. Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has cut dozens of contracts it dismissed as “woke” and wasteful. It gutted the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.

The agency’s main role is financial. Annually, it distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency. The Education Department also plays an important regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.

There is no room in Trump's Amerika for anyone with disabilities, low income, or homeless.

Trump has vowed to cut off federal money for schools and colleges that push “critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” and to reward states and schools that end teacher tenure and support universal school choice programs.

Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%. Colleges and universities are more reliant on it, through research grants along with federal financial aid that helps students pay their tuition.

Here is a look at some of the department’s key functions, and how Trump has said he might approach them.

Continue reading.

Earlier this month, the administration pulled back a staggering $400 million in grants already awarded to the school over Columbia’s alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. Now, Columbia can only have those funds if they agree to let the administration dictate how the school handles everything from student discipline to curriculum to admissions. It’s an unheard-of attack on the autonomy and free speech of a private university.

[...]

As Columbia was the site of some of the biggest anti-war protests, it came in for special scrutiny from the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. Last year, House Republicans dragged the university’s then-president, Minouche Shafik, before Congress to quiz her about Columbia’s response to the protests. Shafik bent the knee, agreeing with the GOP that the university violated Title VI, which protects students based on race, color, and national origin, by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students. She also cracked down on protests, calling in the cops to crush dissent. But none of this was enough, and conservatives celebrated when Shafik was forced out a few months later.

[...]

Notably, neither Trump nor any of the GOP howler monkeys who insist the school remains a hotbed for antisemitism have provided any evidence of ongoing issues at Columbia. Instead, they continue to reference last year’s protests, a thing that the school arguably addressed by letting NYPD riot cops violently subdue protesters.

Which brings us to last week’s letter, which dangled restoration of the $400 million, but only if Columbia agrees to, basically, let the administration run the school.

  Public Notice

Run it into the ground.

It will be about trying to rebuild what he tears down.  Even where possible, it's not going to be easy, or quick.

Also...cancer treatments summarily cancelled.

Social Security?  Yep, that, too.

UPDATE 03/24/2025:

MAGA!

We don't need no steenkeen education

 

Cahinsaw massacres

 

Popular and legal are two different things, but are they even popular?

92%.  Not much, eh?

And here goes the Department of Education

 

My fellow Americans - America is not coming back from Trump 2.0.

UPDATE 03/06/2025:

John Roberts said he could, and Trump thanked him for it. 

Criminal conduct by a criminal president whom Republicans failed to hold accountable and to whom the Supreme Court gave carte blanche to continue criminal conduct.

Trump 2.0 - Education is anathema

 

Obviously you can.

Apparently, it's a job requirement

Also, I thought they're doing away with the Department of Education. 

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 06:54 am:

UPDATE 11/21/2024:

But he won't.

If the tables were turned, Trump would do it in a heartbeat.  

More like this, please

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's former chief of staff has joined a group of anti-Trump Republicans as an adviser.

Josh Venable, who served as the top aide to DeVos in 2017 and 2018, has joined the Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform (REPAIR), the group announced Thursday.

Venable previously served in the George W. Bush administration and as deputy finance director for the Republican National Committee from 2011-2012.

[...]

REPAIR consists of several former Trump White House officials, ex-lawmakers and GOP officials from previous administrations. The group aims to advance "a more hopeful vision of America’s future."

  The Hill

Of course, even better would be current staff to join.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Feds going after Princeton

Let me guess...they're investigating the Princeton president.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into Princeton University after its president acknowledged that systemic racism is “embedded” in the university’s structures. The department informed Princeton of the investigation in a letter Wednesday, citing Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber’s open letter earlier this month discussing the school's efforts to address systemic racism.

Officials said the university “repeatedly represented and warranted to” the department that it was complying with nondiscrimination mandates under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but asserted that Eisgruber in his letter had admitted the university is “racist.”

[...]

The Trump administration requested several documents and interviews under oath from the university as it moves forward with the probe, specifically into whether Princeton misrepresented itself to the department and the public.

  The Hill

Call me jaded, but I think they'll be getting info on Eisgruber.

Princeton called it “unfortunate that the Department appears to believe that grappling honestly with the nation’s history and the current effects of systemic racism runs afoul of existing law,” adding it will respond in “due course.”

“The University disagrees and looks forward to furthering our educational mission by explaining why our statements and actions are consistent not only with the law, but also with the highest ideals and aspirations of this country,” the statement continued.

Pretty sure Princeton shares my concern.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

When the Trump admin fails, it all fails

Betsy DeVos is keeping up her end of the failure.

The Education Department says just $6 million of $6.28 billion in emergency aid for college students has reached campuses so far, and officials are trading accusations with college leaders over the slow pace of a rollout that's left students waiting for help.

[...]

Under the stimulus law, colleges are supposed to receive billions in federal funding, based on the number of students on their campus, to distribute to students in emergency cash grants. The money is aimed at helping students cover expenses stemming from the coronavirus, such as food, housing, health care and child care costs, technology and course materials.

[...]

The Education Department is placing blame on colleges, accusing college leaders of “dragging their feet” in submitting applications for money allocated in the bill. Only 27 percent of the more than 5,000 colleges eligible for the program had submitted the paperwork needed to access the funding by Friday, according to the department.

But the department has yet to fully distribute millions of dollars even to those colleges that have applied for the assistance. And higher education groups say the program has been beset by bureaucratic hiccups, confusion over the rules and a lack of guidance from the government.

Department officials are working on a policy that explains in more detail how the higher education stimulus money can be used, but it hasn’t been released publicly yet. Colleges, which apply for the aid on behalf of their students, are reluctant to dole out the money before they know the full rules that will govern the program.

[...]

Colleges are concerned that they could be penalized in the future for running afoul of guidelines that they haven’t yet seen.

  Politico

Well, no shit.

And what are they doing with the $6 billion or so they haven't sent out?  Who's getting the interest on that money?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.