Public schools could have fewer students and less funding if Gov. Greg Abbott’s voucher plan passes, according to critics. Credit: Shutterstock / legenda

The Trump White House’s plan to downsize and eventually eliminate the Department of Education will be “devastating” to San Antonio schools and likely will rob Texas of billions in funding, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said Friday.

“The Department of Education is responsible for funding billions to Texas for different programs, including for students with disabilities, for teacher training, for civil rights issues, for Title I schools — those are low-income schools,” the San Antonio Democrat said on a call with reporters. “In San Antonio and in Texas, many of our school districts benefit from Title I funding, and we stand to lose, potentially, as a state, billions of dollars.”

The elimination of Title I funding would slash 180,000 teacher positions and hinder the academic outcomes of 2.8 million vulnerable students nationwide, according to 2024 study by the Center for American Progress. For its part, Texas has more than 4,500 Title I-eligible schools, accounting for nearly 60% of the state’s public-school students, federal data shows.

On Friday, Trump said he will transfer the handling of federal student loans to the Small Business Administration and move programs for students with disabilities under the Department of Health and Human Services. However, he’s provided no other specifics for how he plans to rearrange — or even continue operating — myriad other programs under the Education Department’s umbrella.

Castro said the White House also hasn’t indicated whether it plans to shift some or all of the department’s funding to the states or whether states would even be obligated to spend that money on their schools. He said Texans may end up paying higher state taxes to make up for those deficiencies.

The congressman also said the likely drop in funding comes as Gov. Greg Abbott goads the Texas Legislature to pass sweeping school voucher legislation would further slice into funding for public education. Abbott, a Republican, appeared at the White House Thursday to cheer on Trump’s signing of the executive order calling for the elimination of the Education Department.

Abbott’s voucher plan “could cost public schools in Texas hundreds of millions or billions of dollars over the years,” Castro said. “And these two things are coming at the same time.”

Castro added that he doesn’t trust the Trump administration or Abbott to ensure that Texas public schools remain funded.

“This is a continued effort by Elon Musk and the [Department of Government Efficiency] committee to cripple the federal government, to continue to enact Project 2025,” Castro said. “It’s harming our country, it’s hurting Americans, it’s going to hurt our schools and our students. It’s going to set America back in the world.”

Trump’s efforts to crater the Department of Education are certain to face court challenges, and legal experts maintain the president can’t completely kill off the department without congressional action. Even so, Castro said the damage will only get worse as the court challenges play out.

“We think he’s overstepped his authority, and hopefully, we can find relief in the court system,” the congressman said. “But this damage that he’s doing … is going to be longstanding.”

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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 1, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...