Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Response to Federal Executive Order Signaling Intent to Dismantle the United States Department of Education

While today’s Executive Order signals an intent to dismantle the United States Department of Education (ED), we want to reiterate once again that an Executive Order is not law and that Congress alone holds the authority to close a department that Congress created. Any change to the federal government’s obligations to protect students’ access to public education must come from congressional action.

The actions specified in this Executive Order are unlawful for the Executive Branch to enact alone. The order claims to champion local control in education while threatening state and local educational entities with loss of funding if they exercise local control in their policies and curricula.

Outside of this order, recent actions by the administration have caused real harm to students, families, and educators, including the elimination of contracts with agencies who provide supports for schools and students and the sudden and irresponsible shuttering of the Office for Civil Rights in the most populous state.

While the federal administration is clearly willing to disrupt pathways to the American Dream, California remains focused on the promise of educational opportunities for all students.

California will continue to challenge these unlawful orders and actions in court. I already filed a declaration in the lawsuit challenging the threats to withhold federal funding based on school curriculum. President Trump himself decried federal efforts to micromanage school curriculum in his first term in office.

At the California Department of Education (CDE), we will continue to make strategic investments in progress, prosperity, and opportunities for all students. This includes our Move the Needle initiatives to improve students’ test scores in literacy and math, universal pre-kindergarten, and personal finance education.

We remain committed to staying focused on our most important goal: improving educational results for our students. We want to encourage all leaders of California’s local educational agencies (LEAs) to continue a steadfast focus on what is working in your school communities. If your schools or LEA experience a disruption in resources due to federal actions, please contact the relevant program office at CDE.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction