Pritzker discusses U.S. Department of Education cuts at Illinois Education Association meeting
Gov. JB Pritzker spoke to educators from around the state on Thursday at the Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly, saying they're "ready to fight" after the Trump administration began cuts to the U.S. Department of Education, slashing nearly half its budget.
Pritzker stood in front of more than 1,200 educators from across the state at the Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly – what is essentially a mini legislative session for the state's largest teachers' union – and slammed the Trump administration's heavy cuts to the Department of Education, saying that tearing down public education is tearing down democracy.
The governor said the potential loss of $3.5 billion in federal education funding for Illinois is just not something the state can write a check for and make up for. He said that's why the state is standing up and fighting back, noting Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined a coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia to sue the Trump administration to stop the education cuts.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said the cuts reflect the department's commitment to efficiency and accountability. Fifty employees from the department of education's Chicago office have already been laid off.
"I'm for efficiency, too. I think all of us are. The question is can they deliver those services without the people actually running them, and operating them, and determining that there needs to be some effectuation of justice in our schools across the country?" Pritzker said.
The Trump administration's cuts are leading to concerns over what will happen to the agency's current responsibilities. Those include funding public charter schools and ensuring equal access to education. One of the biggest is disbursing student loans and operating aid applications.
The Trump administration has made it clear their goal is to dismantle the Department of Education entirely, and that is causing a lot of concern and fear among educators in Illinois. Many believe the students most impacted by the cuts will be the most vulnerable.
"Students that have special needs, students that are high poverty, Black and Brown students. … and without that extra money all those things and supports are going to dry up," said Albert Llorens, president of the Illinois Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union.
Llorens described the cuts to the U.S. Department of Education as "an insanely bad move" that will impact all students.
Jill Scarcelli, a library associate at Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C, and education support professional council chair for the Illinois Education Association, fears the Trump administration's cuts will hit support staff in schools, which she says are already understaffed and underfunded.
She said that would likely mean students who need additional supports in their education wouldn't get them.
"In our building, I don't hear red or blue, or Republican and Democrat. In our building, it's students. We're focused on what's happening to our students, and for the most part, I think everyone is on board trying to do what's best for them, and we're all scared. We're all scared. We want to support our students. We want them to be successful," Scarcelli said.
CBS News this week met Hope Katz-Zogby, a seventh grader with Down syndrome who attends her local charter school in Baltimore, Maryland. She is able to do so because of the speech and occupational therapy she receives in the classroom.
"She's benefited from being in an inclusive classroom," said Hope's mom, Liz Zogby.
The extra support is made possible through a $15 billion program at the Department of Education. That money also assists poorer students.
But concern about the funds is growing now that staffing at the agency has been cut by nearly 50% — from 4,133 to 2,183.
Many educators also expressed concerns about funding for school food programs, which are run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This week, the Trump administration canceled $660 million in funding for the Local Food for Schools Program, as well as about $420 million for a second program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which helps food banks and other local groups provide food to their communities. Those cuts included $26.3 million in funding for a program that helped Illinois schools and childcare centers pay local farmers and producers for food.
