Education

One of the many questions regarding the upcoming Trump administration revolves around the Department of Education. When this department started in 1980 one of its purposes was to stop the practice of diverting funds from Black schools to White schools. It was a noble purpose and for the most part succeeded. The Department only represents 10% of the school budget but controls other aspects of schools by threatening to withhold the ten percent. Outright spending difference have mostly been eliminated with the exception being the reliance on property tax for funding. The federal government has nothing to do with as this is a state thing. In areas where the property tax revenues are higher then the money available for schools is higher. This is a relatively small amount since the State pays for 86% of K-12 education cost, not including federal funds. Data shows that the state wide average per pupil cost in MN is $15,000 while the St Paul schools spend $20,000. The original purpose of the Department of Education was to remove any discrepancies regarding the funding of Black schools vs White and that has been accomplished. As far as improving education the department has tried unsuccessfully. With experiments like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and Every Child Succeeds the department confused both teachers and students. There has been little improvement in test scores since 1980 and the gap between White and minority students continues to widen. Perhaps the department has outlined its usefulness.