Degenfelder Cheers Dismantling of U.S. Dept. Of Education At White House Signing Ceremony

Thronged by schoolchildren who sat at polished desks in the White House, President Donald Trump signed an order Thursday to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder was among a handpicked group of state leaders in attendance.

The executive order depletes the department as much as legally possible, Trump told a crowd of attendees at his Thursday afternoon press conference.

It would require an act of Congress to abolish it altogether.

Trump has long promised to return education decision-making to the states, something Degenfelder has said she supports.

He promised Thursday to retain “the department’s useful functions” including the management of Pell grants, Title 1 funding, and resources for children with disabilities and special needs.

“We want education to come back to them — to come back to the states — and they’re going to do a phenomenal job,” said Trump.

Some states may be “laggards,” he added, but “we’ll work with them.”

The Trump administration contacted Degenfelder on Tuesday, and she arrived in Washington, D.C., by plane late Wednesday night, she told Cowboy State Daily from a sidewalk outside the White House.

Gov. Mark Gordon was invited but was unable to attend "due to other commitments," Gordon's spokesman Michael Pearlman told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday, adding that the White House offered for Degenfelder to attend in his stead.

“I was happy to step in and represent Wyoming,” she said, adding that she believes it’s also important to show support from state governments in general.

“It’s just a truly momentous and historic day for education in America, and it’s a win for American students,” said Degenfelder. “We’re taking out the middle man in education, putting education back where it belongs — in the classroom and not in D.C. offices.”

She said Trump is fulfilling his longtime campaign promise, and recognizing a premise of efficiency in localized governance that the federal government has not acknowledged prior.

Degenfelder has long voiced hopes that the federal government will still channel necessary money to state education systems through block grants, without “red tape and bureaucracy.”

Not As Hopeful

In a March 12 statement to Cowboy State Daily when Trump implemented massive reductions in force at the federal education department, the Wyoming Education Association was not so hopeful.

The group harbors doubts about that, indicates a statement the organization sent to Cowboy State Daily.

“The Wyoming Education Association stands in strong opposition to the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE),” the group wrote in an email at the time.

WEA President Kim Amen added: "Cutting staff at the U.S. Department of Education would likely have significant negative effects on the delivery of services, particularly in areas such as funding, policy implementation, and educational support."

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.