Gov. Pritzker, educators rally against Dept. of Ed cuts at Illinois Education Association assembly

ROSEMONT, Ill. (WLS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker addressed the 1,200 delegates of the Representative Assembly of the Illinois Education Association Thursday in Rosemont.

"Are you ready for the fight? Let me hear you: Are you ready for the fight?" Pritzker said.

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The governor's remarks come on the heels of massive cuts made to the U.S. Department of Education, resulting in about 1,300 job cuts, nearly half of its workforce.

"They are hellbent on destroying public schools, not just here but across the nation," the governor said.

Pritzker and supporters called it an attack on democracy.

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The governor had some choice words Thursday, saying "President Trump and his bootlickers" and "the DOGE bags in Washington," when addressing a very enthusiastic and supportive audience.

Pritzker said speaking out is the only way to hopefully prevent any further damage to education. Illinois gets about $3.5 billion from the federal government to help fund special needs students and low-income and rural schools districts.

"The question: Can they deliver those services without people actually running them or operating them?" he said.

President Donald Trump's administration has made the case, saying that other departments can absorb some of the Education Department's functions, sticking to the belief that control of schools should go to the states.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the department is being rid of what she calls bureaucratic bloat.

Despite the job cuts, the administration claims there will be no cuts in funding.

"The appropriations from Congress, all of that is being met. None of that is going to fall through the cracks," McMahon said.

Pritzker said the future of student learning is at risk.

"Students in rural communities who have relied upon federal funding to keep their schools open are likely to see closures, and will have to travel further," Pritzker said.

If billions of dollars in federal funds are cut, Pritzker says the state cannot replace those funds. But, he says it's cheaper to fight the cuts in court than do nothing and lose the funding. Pritzker vows to fight, whether he is governor or not.

"The Trump presidency is attacking virtually everything that I believe in. So, whether I'm in office or I'm not in office, what office I am serving in, I will always be in this fight," he said.

There is deep concern among state educators at the Representative Assembly about the future of federal funding for their schools, especially Title 1 schools, who receive federal dollars for students who are low-income.

Debra Ward Mitchell is an education support specialist in Harvey, one of Illinois' poorest school districts.

"We have about 65 paraprofessionals that are in positions because Title 1 funds working with special needs students. If that goes away, our jobs go away," Ward Mitchell said.

Karen Moore, a Harvey special education resource teacher, said students relying on federal funding in her district are in jeopardy.

"We have a ton of students who are low-income. We have students who depend on free lunch and breakfast every morning," Moore said. "If this happens, how are we going to feed our children?"

Educators from poor school districts to the wealthiest say the daily uncertainty of chaos in Washington and the possibility of funding cuts is a big distraction.

"Every day, we wake up and wondering what's next. And that is really starting to weigh on my colleagues and me, and eventually it will weigh on families and children," Barrington music teacher Alison Rohrbach said.

Twenty one Democratic attorneys general, including Illinois', also announced a lawsuit to try and block the dismantling of the Education Department.

With no specific plan at this point to replace the possibility of lost federal education funds, Pritzker says the plan now is to continue to speak out and fight back against the Trump administration.