‘Failed bureaucracy’: Conservative coalition urges lawmakers to finish closing Education Department 

A coalition of conservative groups is calling on federal lawmakers and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to continue working to dismantle the embattled Department of Education.

President Donald Trump has made closing the department, which would require cooperation with Congress, a priority for McMahon, telling her to “put yourself out of a job.” McMahon said in her confirmation hearing that the department, which was created under President Jimmy Carter, was not needed.

Following the midterms, a group of conservative organizations led by the Heritage Foundation credited McMahon for her work to downsize the department but pressed her and federal lawmakers to finish the job, arguing the agency has “failed to improve student achievement.”

“We urge each of you to continue the essential process of closing the U.S. Department of Education,” a letter sent to McMahon, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the chairmen of the House and Senate education committees read.

“Federal lawmakers have used trillions in taxpayer spending over the last 40 years for Education Department activities and accomplished none of the agency’s goals, all while limiting the authority of parents and state and local policymakers,” the letter read. “Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate should consider bringing proposals to the floor of their respective chamber and collaborate with Secretary McMahon to sunset this failed bureaucracy.”

The letter was signed by more than two dozen organizations, including Concerned Women for America, Defending Education, the Goldwater Institute and Independent Women.

The groups acknowledged McMahon’s efforts so far, which include cutting half of its staff and transferring key responsibilities to other federal departments, noting that “these actions are not only unprecedented but demonstrate a clear understanding of the ongoing failure of the U.S. Department of Education to achieve measurable, positive results for students.”

While per-student spending is more than $20,000, average reading and math scores are “mediocre,” the letter added.

“On the Nation’s Report Card, nearly two-thirds of fourth graders score at basic or below in math and nearly 70% score at basic or below in reading. While the Education Department does not open or close schools, nor does the agency employ teachers, the agency enforces policies and sets priorities for state lawmakers – none of which has improved student outcomes since the Department opened in 1980.”

The department’s creation was widely viewed as a favor to teachers’ unions for supporting Carter and the Democrats.

The Heritage Foundation referred Heartlander News to a statement urging lawmakers to “finish the job.”

The Education Department did not respond to Heartlander News’ requests for comment on what steps it will take to continue dismantling the department following a national blue wave that has seen school choice threatened in some states. Democrats will take control of both houses of Congress in January.

The agency said it would continue “its historic fight to restore parental rights protections” in a statement released just days after the midterms, announcing several investigations into school districts over “policies and alleged incidents that involve hiding students’ ‘gender transitions’ from their parents.”

“The Trump Administration has made upholding parental rights and transparency in the classroom a key part of our education agenda – and we will continue to do so,” McMahon said.