In a congressional news briefing at Connecticut’s Legislative Office Building this morning, U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal voiced resistance and outrage in response to the Trump administration’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, assuring parents, teachers, and community members that they will do everything in their power to protect students and public schools.
“When I walked into the room this morning, my heart sank a little, because that chair right there is where I sat for my Teacher of the Year interview,” said Hayes, a former Waterbury teacher and 2016 National Teacher of the Year. “For all the people who say it’s not the government’s responsibility to educate our children, they don’t understand what happens to the kids who won’t have the opportunities available to them in public schools.”
In her district alone, she noted that tens of millions of dollars in education funding comes from the federal government, and 53% of students who go to college do so with the help of federal Pell grants, without which higher education would be out of reach.
CEA’s Kate Dias and Joslyn DeLancey thank Congresswoman Jahana Hayes for her strong advocacy.
“I worry about the teaching profession, and I worry about aspiring educators who want to go into our most difficult communities and help our children,” she said.
Hayes explained that after President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, the House of Representatives issued a resolution of inquiry giving the president 14 days to present documents giving the rationale behind his decision and plans going forward.
“As a teacher, I could never walk into an IEP meeting and just say, ‘Don’t worry about it; special education students will be taken care of.’ The law requires more of me, and you should require more of the president of the United States,” said Hayes. Because districts are bound by law to provide certain programs and services, she added, in the absence of federal funding they will have to decide between cutting other services or raising taxes.
“And without the enforcement mechanisms that the U.S. Department of Education provides, our children are at astronomical risk. Here in Connecticut, I know we are strong proponents of public education, but it’s not just about the kids here; it’s about all the kids in this country. We all have a collective responsibility to our children.”
Standing up for public schools
Describing Hayes as one of the great education leaders in the country, Senator Blumenthal commended Connecticut legislators, constitutional officers, and teachers, whom he called steadfast champions of public education.
Senator Blumenthal pledges to ensure Congress puts a stop to the gutting of the U.S. Department of Education.
“Donald Trump, Linda McMahon, and Elon Musk can’t dismantle the Department of Education just because they feel like it. We are not going to let this administration privatize public education and turn it over to profiteers,” he said, criticizing moves to take billions of dollars for Title I, IDEA, and civil rights enforcement to provide tax cuts for the wealthy.
In Connecticut, he said, 533,000 students in over 1,000 schools receive “magnificently more education supports because of those federal funds,” which represent 22% of Waterbury’s education budget. “It’s a real, life-changing difference for students in classrooms, and for teachers, whom we’re trying to recruit and retain.”
Pointing out that 60 Senate votes are necessary to eliminate the Department of Education, which Congress created, he said, “I promise you we will deny them the votes needed to do that.”
“We’re mad as hell, we’re not going to take it, and we’re going to stand strong because of what this means for our future and our kids,” Governor Ned Lamont echoed Connecticut’s congressional delegation. “This is $500-plus million that goes to some of our most underserved kids; that’s what this administration is putting at risk, and that puts an incredible cloud of anxiety over our amazing teachers, who fight every day to make sure we have the best schools in the country right here in Connecticut. Thankfully we have Jahana Hayes and Dick Blumenthal leading the charge not only in Connecticut but in Washington, D.C., fighting every day to make sure the Trump administration doesn’t succeed at deprioritizing public education.”
Stop the attacks
“In Connecticut we talk a lot about March madness—it’s a big deal,” said Connecticut Commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood Beth Bye. “This is March madness. We need predictability and reliability so that we can plan, and this president has brought nothing but unpredictability. The U.S. Department of Education oversees birth-to-three services, and in the last six months alone, 7,000 Connecticut children up to age three have gotten special education services delivered in their homes and through early childcare programs.”
Governor Ned Lamont and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz assure residents that public education will always be a high priority for the state.
“All of us here are the beneficiaries, directly or indirectly, of a strong public education system that’s the backbone of our economy and that provides incredible opportunities,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, “and we are not going to let President Trump and Elon Musk dismantle that. Make no mistake, this is a direct attack on kids with disabilities and special education needs, it’s an attack on financial aid for college, on students who need English language learning help, and on our public schools.”
“I’ve spent nearly 30 years as a public educator dedicated to helping every student and family who walked through our doors,” said Cheshire Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeffrey Solan. “We’re looking at the gutting of the U.S. Department of Education and the redistribution of public money for public schools toward private schools, religious institutions, and for-profit charter schools where there is limited accountability, often no requirement for teacher certification, and generally no requirement to provide special education services.”
Solan argued that while declining test scores are often given as justification for decisions to disrupt or defund public education, an examination of rising anxiety among youth might provide greater insights into students’ test performance.
“Blaming public educators here is the equivalent of blaming doctors for obesity.”
“I work in a Title I district and taught in a Title I district, and I’m standing with our Congresswoman, members of our federal and state delegations, state and local officials, teachers, and education advocates—all standing in unison, because our hearts are heavy,” said Waterbury school administrator Sean Mosley, adding, “You can tell a lot about a nation by how it supports and treats its most vulnerable populations, including its children.”
