Education Control Shifts to States Under New Interagency Agreements

Welcome to your weekly update on the U.S. Department of Education. This week’s biggest headline: Secretary Linda McMahon announced six new interagency agreements with the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State to dismantle the federal education bureaucracy and shift control back to states, fulfilling President Trump’s promise. These moves transfer elementary and secondary education programs to Labor, postsecondary programs to Labor, Indian education to Interior, and international language efforts to State. ED and Labor also launched FY26 grant competitions for teacher incentives and literacy programs through Labor’s GrantSolutions platform, kicking off K-12 funding awards this spring. Funding for Title I and rural programs stays on the familiar G5 system for now, avoiding delays for the 2026-27 school year starting July 1. Secretary McMahon put it bluntly: “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission.” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum added, “Native American education programs will become stronger, more accountable, and fully dedicated to ensuring Native students are prepared for success.” For American families, this means less federal meddling and more state-led innovation, like aligning K-12 with workforce needs to fill 700,000 skilled jobs. Schools and colleges face streamlined grants but potential transition hiccups—states have griped about communication gaps during past shifts. Local governments gain flexibility, though advocates worry about funding snags. Watch for more grant deadlines this summer and staff transfers. Superintendents, check ED’s site for updates; citizens, submit feedback on ed.gov/initiatives/returning-education-states. Next, track congressional reactions and FY26 funding flows. For details, visit ed.gov/newsroom. Thanks for tuning in, listeners—subscribe for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta