Today, educators and parents held a virtual press conference to condemn Donald Trump’s Education Secretary, Linda McMahon’s visit to Nevada after Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, which Joe Lombardo fully supports, as well as Republicans’ latest effort to strip $29 million in grant funding for Nevada schools to help pave the way for more tax cuts for billionaires.
The Lombardo-Trump plan to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education would threaten nearly $1 billion per year in funding for Nevada schools and students. If Lombardo and Trump get their way, funding for Pell Grants, community colleges, special education, career and technical education, and other essential services for Nevada students will be on the chopping block. Over the last five years, Nevada students and schools have been supported by the U.S. Department of Education with a total of nearly $6 billion in critical funding.
“Eliminating the Department of Education isn’t about helping kids, it’s about abandoning them,” said Dawn Etcheverry, NSEA President. “McMahon, Trump, and Musk have aimed their wrecking ball at public education, threatening devastating consequences for Nevada’s most vulnerable students.”
“Without funding from the federal government, schools in low income neighborhoods would face devastating shortfalls,” Kamilah Bywaters, Nevada parent and special education teacher. “The Department of Education enforces the civil rights of our students. Without it, protections like Title IX, section 504, and Title VI would severely be weakened.”
“With the full support of Joe Lombardo, Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education – continuing his crusade of slashing essential programs so many Nevadans rely on,” said Jeana Blackman-Taylor, Nevada parent. “This is a direct attack on our local public schools and it will hurt students, parents and educators. The consequences of this will be most devastating for our state’s most at-risk and in-need kids.”
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