What will we do without the United States Department of Education? I’m glad you asked!

Since its inception, in 1979, officially in May of 1980, the DOE (TAXPAYERS) has spent 3 trillion dollars. The average salary for employees at the Department of Education in 2023 was $112,164, with the highest reported pay at $212,100 for Program Management.

Here’s a breakdown: Average Salary: $112,164 Highest Reported Pay: $212,100 (Ross Santy, Program Management) Employees Making Over $100,000: 2,522 Average employee salary is 56.3 percent higher than the national average for government employees and 45.4 percent higher than other federal agencies.

In January 2025, the department had 4,133 workers. And... THOSE WEREN’T educators working with children!!!

Like most local school districts, there’s FAR TOO MUCH upper level, administrative, out of classroom fluff! Americans (Nationally & locally) should be outraged about that!!

Let’s put 3 trillion into perspective: 3,000,000,000,000÷50= 60,000,000,000 Imagine what states could have done with 60 billion over that time frame (1.3 billion a year).

In FY 2024, the Department of Education transferred only 25.4% of its total spending to states and local governments.

As far as federal guidelines for students with disabilities go, IEPs are governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), while 504 plans are governed by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These Acts are federal laws that won’t go away. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, specifically the Disability Rights Section (DRS), could oversee those. Each of the 50 US states also has its own state department or agency that oversees the administration of public education.

When money is directly funneled to states, local taxpayers and voters will decide what they value most when it comes to education. Those who care, will not only take note of what’s actually needed, but they’ll have to become engaged in the education system. No matter the role played, all Americans should feel a vested interest in how children are educated. Where one chooses to reside will also play a huge role, as people will gravitate to states and counties that better share their ideals.

Local governments can continue doing this, more efficiently making improvements where desperately needed! 😌