Prince George’s County officials are concerned about the impacts President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education could have on the county’s school system.

Trump signed an executive order on March 20 that calls for education secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps” to facilitate the department’s closure, citing the importance of returning control of education to state governments.

Officials told The Diamondback that downsizing the department may have significant impacts on Title I funding, English as a second language programs and special education support throughout Prince George’s County Public Schools.

State and local governments already have the authority to oversee public education, said Keisha Allen, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland’s teaching and learning, policy and leadership department.

States develop curricula, decide learning benchmarks for students and determine what assessments are used to see if students are meeting those benchmarks, Allen explained.

“The consequences of this order is that it will weaken public education and limit access to higher education, particularly for historically marginalized and excluded communities,” Allen said.

Trump’s order would allow the department to continue Title I — a federal program that gives increased funding to low-income schools — and other key programs, such as Pell grants and money for children with disabilities, the Associated Press reported on March 20.

About half of the department’s 4,133 workers were placed on administrative leave on March 21, the department announced in a March 11 news release. A complete closure of the department is unlikely without an act of Congress, according to the Associated Press.

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But recent funding cuts and layoffs to the department could limit its ability to carry out key programs, according to Prince George’s County Educators Association president Donna Christy.

“It’s a complete overreach by the president,” Christy told The Diamondback. “He doesn’t have the authority to do this.”

In fiscal year 2025, the district received more than $219 million — or about 7.6 percent of its funding — from the federal government. Nearly a third of this was allocated to Title I programs.

PGCPS also received federal government grants for special education, free and reduced meals and drug abuse and violence prevention programs.

In a letter sent on March 28, McMahon told Maryland’s government that the department is withholding up to $418 million in pandemic recovery funds, causing a $305 million deficit in the current year’s education budget, the Baltimore Banner reported.

In a statement to The Diamondback, the Maryland State Department of Education said it will continue to ensure all students have access to “excellent and equitable education.”

“We are currently reviewing the Executive Order with our legal counsel and determining the next steps,” the statement read. “While there are many questions to be answered regarding funding and resource allocations, our vision is unchanged for public education in Maryland.”

Prince George’s County District 7 council member Krystal Oriadha told The Diamondback she is concerned about a loss in funding for essential school initiatives across the county, including Title I, ESOL, school meal and Head Start programs.

About 87,000 PGCPS students qualify for free meals this school year, according to the  district’s website.

As of 2021, there were more than 27,000 students learning English as a second language in the school district, according to the county’s ESOL strategic plan.

“There’s so many things that could be harmed by the decisions that [Trump is] making,” said Oriadha, who chairs the council’s education and workforce development committee. “I don’t think we know the full scope just yet of what those might be.”

Christy said funding cuts to these essential programs would have a “significant impact” on public schools in the county because many families and students depend on them.

[U.S. education department to cut workforce in half]

The education department’s civil rights office also plays a significant role ensuring that reports of discrimination in schools are investigated and addressed. Nearly half of the employees who work for the civil rights office, which already has a backlog of thousands of complaints, were laid off during department personnel cuts last month, according to the Associated Press.

PGCPS District 2 school board member Jonathan Briggs told The Diamondback that enforcing civil rights and ensuring high-quality education will now fall on state and local governments. Many local and state governments will have to rethink their civil rights protections, he added.

“That mandate of enforcing civil rights protections and enforcing the equitable … education opportunities for all students is really going to fall on I think members of our legislature,” Briggs said.

The education department also collects and analyzes data throughout the county to understand the effectiveness of educational programs and policies.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cut nearly $900 million in funding within the agency for tracking learning progress for students throughout the country in February, the Associated Press reported.

Allen said this research is crucial in making decisions about what curricula and programs should be implemented in schools.

“As an educational researcher, knowing particularly where disparities might be in student outcomes, that’s really important for us to be able to make decisions,” Allen said.

The education department did not respond to The Diamondback’s request for comment.