School divisions across central Virginia are waiting to see what the Trump administration’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education could mean for them, but their most immediate concern is potential disruptions in federal funding.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
Trump cannot abolish the department without an act of Congress. However, the Trump administration has already started laying off staff and cutting programs. Read more about that in this article from Reuters.
As the future of the department and the programs it funds is still uncertain, local school districts are unsure how — or even whether — to start planning.
“As always, we are monitoring changes that affect public education on the federal, state and local levels,” Helen Dunn, a spokesperson for Albemarle County Public Schools, said in an email. “We are also fortunate to have relationships with other state and local organizations who monitor these changes in collaboration with public schools. At this point, we cannot be certain exactly how these changes will affect Albemarle County Public Schools, but we will continue to monitor and will always be compliant with all applicable laws.”
Charlottesville City Schools echoed that sentiment.
“At this point, we are monitoring the situation as well as staying connected with the city and state, as well as other school divisions and state associations, to make sure we understand possible impacts and options,” Amanda Korman, a City Schools spokesperson, said in an email.
The immediate concern local educators have is about federal school funding.
“I will only speak for the division I serve — but I’m confident that other small, rural divisions are in the same boat — we don’t have the financial flexibility to make mid-year adjustments should we experience a decrease in resources,” Peter Gretz, superintendent for Fluvanna County Public Schools, said in an email. “If there are unexpected changes at the federal level that have an impact on local divisions, we will hope the state provides the necessary support for us to continue to provide the excellent schools Virginia is so widely known for.”
School divisions in central Virginia are not all funded the same. Some wealthier communities are funded more heavily by local governments. That’s the case in Albemarle County, which receives about 4% of its budget from the federal government, another 28% from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and 68% from Albemarle County, Dunn said. Less than 28% of the district’s students were considered economically disadvantaged by state assessments.
“Our local government pays the lion’s share of our budget,” said Dunn. “But 4% is certainly a significant amount of money in a public school division’s budget.”
Federal dollars are typically used to fund things like special education programs and food for under-resourced children, along with other grants.
That means schools with children from less wealthy families rely more heavily on federal dollars.
Charlottesville City Schools, where the district categorized 52.4% of students as economically disadvantaged in 2024, received 9% of its budget last year from the federal government. Next year’s budget projects receiving 7%.
For more information on school financing, Virginia Public Media published a report detailing how each district in the state receives money, and what a reduction or elimination in funding could mean for some of them.
