Trump intends to transfer school funding decision-making authority to local communities, but has not yet appointed a Secretary of Education.

President-elect Trump has proposed a significant change in American education by suggesting to abolish or significantly reduce the authority of the Department of Education (DOE), which would result in local communities taking control and funding of public schools.

According to Neal McCluskey, director for educational freedom at the Cato Institute, there is a high probability that Trump's plan to close the DOE will be implemented through "block granting."

"McCluskey explained to Planet Chronicle Digital that block granting is easier to comprehend because it involves money and it doesn't disappear abruptly from states and districts, but rather stays with them."

If the federal government consolidated almost every K-12 and gave them the money, it would be a significant change, he said, with all kinds of rules and regulations.

The federal government's role in education has shifted from funding support to more direct control until the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, which reduced federal oversight due to backlash against standardized testing and federal mandates. Despite this reduction in federal intervention, McCluskey believes that funding pressures continue to push Washington to influence school operations.

"McCluskey stated that the Department of Education has proven to be a poor administrator, as evidenced by their inability to simplify the FAFSA form, despite making it easier."

"I also think the programs are really bad," he added.

McCluskey acknowledged the significance of federal civil rights enforcement but believed it should be located within the Department of Justice rather than education. He advised against overreach, specifically with "Dear Colleague" letters from the Office of Civil Rights, which he argued changed policies without formal changes in the law.

The Department of Education was established in 1980 by Congress and signed into law by President Carter. However, in his 1982 State of the Union address, President Reagan proposed shutting down the department.

The DOE was initially established as a political move to secure the support of the National Education Association and its initial focus was on K-12 and student-aid funding, according to McCluskey.

Over time, the role of the program expanded beyond equalizing funding between low- and high-income communities to include accountability measures, particularly from the Reagan era onward, as concerns arose about educational quality and outcomes.

The federal government's push for accountability resulted in the "A Nation at Risk" report in 1983 and eventually led to the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, positioning the government as a major driver of standards and test-based accountability.

The department's primary roles are K-12 funding support, federal student aid management, and civil rights enforcement, according to the official.

The former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Rep. Byron Donalds, Cade Brumley, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Tiffany Justice, Oklahoma public education superintendent Ryan Walters, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are among the possible contenders for the DOE secretary role.

Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Joshua Comins contributed to this report.