In October 2023, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would close the Department of Education during his administration. It is unlikely that this idea will gain traction, according to NPR.
The DOE provides funding for public schools and higher education. It also awards funding, such as federal Pell Grants, to undergraduate students with financial need, according to the DOE.
Any defunding of the DOE could result in changes for New Mexican education through less federal funding and less oversight of educational systems, according to Bailey Rutherford, senate president pro tempore of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico.
UNM is a Hispanic-serving institution, and it receives federal grants for having this status, Rutherford said.
“If dismantling of the education department occurs, HSI funding will be lost,” Rutherford said.
HSIs are eligible for Title V grants, according to UNM. A Title V grant of nearly $2.7 million over five years was awarded to UNM’s Valencia campus in 2020, according to UNM Valencia.
50.5% of undergraduate students at UNM’s main campus are Hispanic, according to 2023 UNM data.
Aside from funding, the DOE also ensures Title IX protection in education.
Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the DOE. Universities and public schools that are not compliant with Title IX cannot receive federal funding, according to the DOE.
Trump’s removal of the DOE could take away these same protections, according to Inside Higher Ed.
However, it is unlikely that Trump will be able to shut down the department alone or at all, according to The Guardian.
In 2023, 60 House Republicans voted no on abolishing the DOE, according to the BBC.
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Dylan Anthony is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobocom or on X @dailylobo
