US Dept. of Ed cuts could impact special education, low-income students in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The U.S. Department of Education let go of about 1,300 employees, which is nearly half of its workforce.

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Besides college loans, the department distributes funding for low income and rural school districts as well as aid for special education and students with disabilities.

The Trump administration argues those functions can be absorbed in different departments.

There are 230,000 low-income public education students in Chicago; and 60,000 students have disabilities.

Gutting the Department of Education could impact those students because they depend on federal funding.

Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said educators around the country are living in fear now that the Trump administration is following through on a promise to dismantle the Department of Education.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon calls the first step in ridding the department of bureaucratic bloat.

However, Duncan said McMahon's statement is false. Added that she has decimated the federal student loan team.

Besides funding, advocates for students with disabilities said their concern is the ability to file discrimination complaints with the DOE's Office of Civil Rights.

Education advocates are also concerned about the nearly 800 researchers who lost their jobs, many of who collected data on school performance.

Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement:

"Donald Trump is failing the test of leadership again. Instead of proposing any plans to improve math and reading scores for students, he's tearing down the Department of Education and making it harder for working class kids to get ahead."

Illinois was expecting to receive about $3.56 billion in federal funding this fiscal year.

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