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HARRISBURG, PA (Feb. 13, 2025) — PSEA President Aaron Chapin warned against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a move that would put students in low-income communities at risk and jeopardize special education services for students with disabilities.

Pennsylvania received about $1.6 billion in federal education funding from the U.S. Department of Education in the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to a PSEA review of the federal budget. The lion’s share of that funding supports the most vulnerable students, including:

• $578 million for Title I programs benefiting students from the poorest rural, suburban, and urban communities in Pennsylvania, and
• $428 million for Individuals with Disabilities in Education (IDEA) programs supporting special education services for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania students with disabilities.

Chapin issued the following statement ahead of Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing as Secretary of Education before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Feb. 13, 2025, starting at 10 a.m.

“Students from low-income families living in rural, suburban, and urban communities count on billions in federal investments to support their public education as do students with disabilities and their families,” Chapin said. “They deserve more support, not less. But they and many others will pay the price if the department that distributes and oversees billions in federal funding is dismantled and tossed aside.

“About 90% of Pennsylvania students and 95% of students with disabilities learn in our public schools, and they benefit from federal investments and programs run by the Department of Education. Dismantling the department is akin to giving up on their future.

“Linda McMahon must explain what will happen to the Pennsylvania students and their families who count on $1.6 billion in key federal investments distributed by the Department of Education.

“The joke in Washington is that McMahon, as secretary of education, will work to ‘put herself out of a job.’ But this is no joking matter. We are talking about real lives being impacted by the decisions of our elected leaders.

“Pennsylvanians do not want their elected leaders to gut public education. They want elected leaders who will protect and strengthen public schools for every student — in rural, suburban, and urban communities.

“It is up to our U.S. senators and House members to be a voice for the most vulnerable students in Pennsylvania and across the nation. They must understand that dismantling the Department of Education is equal to gutting public education in this nation. We call on our senators and House members to take decisive action to protect public education and the students and families who count on federal support for their public schools every day.”

Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher and president of PSEA. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, aspiring educators, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.