Donald Trump recently reaffirmed his plan to close down the Department of Education and make other changes to school administration once he takes office. But how would that affect Austin and the state of Texas?

 

Question 1: Part of Trump’s plan is to give more funding to schools that use “merit pay” for teachers and stop awarding tenure. How could that impact Texas?

 

Texas gives teachers tenure after three years. So do 30 other states.

 

It’s not performance-based. As long as you’ve taught in the school past your three-year “probationary period,” you’ll get tenure.
 

That means great job security, but some critics say it gives teachers less incentive to put their best foot forward. There’s lots of debate over whether converting some base salary to performance-based bonuses improves student outcomes or not.

 

Our data shows that last year, the average full-time teacher at Austin ISD made just over $65,000.

 

Merit pay could also lower pension payouts. Right now teachers’ pensions are calculated from base salary, not bonuses. If some salary gets converted to bonuses, that means a lower pension in the future, unless the rules are changed. (no pension data transparency in Texas).

 

Question 2: How would Trump’s policies affect schools at an administrative level?

 

Trump has said he would increase federal funding for schools that reduce their number of administrators.

 

Our payroll records from Austin ISD list 260 people as officers, administrators and directors. 

 

That’s much lower than some other large school districts our team has reviewed. Baltimore, for example, has many instances where six or seven administrators share the same job title.

 

That’s where the Trump administration is going to encourage schools to make cuts, but it’s possible Austin is already meeting the standard the federal government is now going to expect. 

 

Question 3: Trump has also advocated for more states to issue school vouchers. How could that policy impact Texas?

 

Trump has advocated for at least some form of universal school choice in every state, where all parents can get taxpayer-funded vouchers to send their kids to private school.

 

That’s going to be a big win for Gov. Abbott and his allies. Abbott has refused to increase public school funding since 2019 because Democrats in the legislature oppose his push for universal school vouchers. Democrats argue the vouchers will take needed funds away from public schools.

 

But now Abbott has a new argument: Trump will increase federal funding for Texas schools if it passes a voucher program. Texas’ proposed vouchers are estimated to cost $2 billion per year, so those funds might be needed. 

 

Question 4: So how realistic is this plan? Can Trump actually dissolve the Department of Education?

 

It won’t be the first time someone tried. Reagan tried just two years after the department was created, and Trump tried in his last term.

 

Today, the Pew Research Center says only 44% of Americans view the Department of Education favorably.

 

Trump would need Congressional approval to close the Department. But even if it happened, many of its functions would likely need to move to other departments. The department enforces civil rights laws for students and regulates college sports.

 

The department hands out Title I grants to help low-income students, Pell grants, special education grants and more that even most Republicans support.

 

Or, those grants could turn into vaguer block grants that states can use as they see fit.