Gov. Pritzker’s Statement on on Trump’s Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education
March 20, 2025
CHICAGO- Today, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement regarding Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education:
“President Trump has no plan to improve literacy, math scores, or get more teachers on the job. When Donald Trump attacks education, he is failing America because the success of our students is what will make our economy, future, and nation stronger.
“Eliminating the Department of Education will likely have harsh and immediate impacts on Illinois’ students. It will harm students and their families in rural communities who rely on federal funding to keep their schools open. It will remove supports students with disabilities and special needs rely upon. And low-income students who depend on Pell Grants to earn their college degrees will be forced to drop out.
“Making preschool more available, college degrees more affordable, and college readiness for K-12 students more attainable has been a primary focus of my administration. Our schools need more support not less, and we’ve made progress in Illinois: the recently released Nation’s Report Card shows that despite the setbacks of the pandemic, our state’s eighth graders have the second highest reading scores fifth highest math scores in the United States. And Illinois’ high school graduation rate is the highest in 14 years.
“Education is foundational to the success of our people, our state and the future of America. Our schools serve as centers of community, feed our children, and prepare them for careers that fuel our economy. We must empower our teachers and students to succeed – no matter their background and across every rural, suburban, and urban area in Illinois.
“All the best research shows that focusing dollars on our children is one of the most fiscally responsible investments we can make: it reduces future expenditures and offers one of the highest returns on investment. It yields a higher high school graduation rate, a higher college attendance rate, greater lifetime earnings, lower healthcare costs, lower crime rates, and an overall reduction in the need for human services spending. Nowhere is this more evident than with the students who have historically been left out and left behind. Investing in our children’s education pays off—and it’s the right thing to do.”
IMPACTS IN ILLINOIS
Dismantling the Department of Education will set back schools and students in Illinois by creating uncertainty about the federal administration due to potential cuts to:
- Federal Education Funding: Public schools in Illinois are expecting $3.56 billion in federal funds in Fiscal Year 2025 serving 1.8 million students, accounting for $1,923 per student.
- Special Education Funding: Illinois is expecting to use $1.33 billion in federal funding in Fiscal Year 2025 to support more than 295,000 children receiving special education services.
- Pell Grants: In the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 225,000 students in Illinois received over $1 billion in Pell Grants to assist with educational expenses. Pell Grants help make college more affordable and accessible for students from low-income households, contributing to the economic mobility of students and families across our state.
- Student Loan Programs: Illinois has 1.6 million student loan borrowers who rely on the federal government to ensure affordable monthly payments and timely processing of applicable loan forgiveness programs. Dismantling the Department of Education threatens to send Illinois’ most vulnerable borrowers into default.
GOV. PRITZKER’S SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
Since taking office, Governor Pritzker has improved Illinois education by:
Early Childhood Education
- Expanding preschool access, adding 11,000 new Pre-K seats the last two years for working families through Smart Start Illinois
- Creating the new Department of Early Childhood to make it easier for families to access services
- Dedicating infrastructure dollars to renovate and build early childhood facilities
K-12 Education
- Moving hundreds of school districts closer to adequacy through historic investments in Evidence-Based Funding for K-12 students
- Addressing the nationwide teacher shortage with a teacher pipeline grant program
- Funding and protecting special education programs
- Earning federal funding for school transportation and EV school buses
Post-Secondary Education
- Expanding career and technological education programs
- Improving college affordability with additional MAP grants for eligible students
- Renovating public university and community college campuses
- Proposing community colleges offer four-year degrees
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