The United States Department of Education is on the chopping block. I don’t think that’s a good idea.

First of all, because I think education and how we provide for children is one of the most important things we do. And we know what is important by where we place things in hierarchies, by what we talk about, by how we treat people in charge of it, and by where we spend money. Since education is at the top of the list for importance, it should not only be a department, but a big one. You don’t get rid of the most important things. Children and their education should never be thrown away first. It’s our job and moral responsibility as adults to prioritize care for them. Remember, they will all be taking care of us someday.

But the reasons for having a Department of Education go much further than just symbolism.

If I learned one thing from being on the school board, it’s that people want to know how “good” their school and their system is. They want to know that their school and district are providing them an education just as good as anywhere else. They also want to know that their teachers and administrators are teaching with the same competence as other teachers, that their kids are getting the opportunity to learn the same things as kids in other places, and that their schools are spending money efficiently. Every family that I’ve ever met thinks about these things when they choose where they are going to live.

The Department of Education was initially formed (1867) to do just that: collect information.

That information is how we know how schools are doing and, most importantly, that they are treating all kids fairly. We want to make sure that boys and girls, Black students and White students, urban students and rural students, Georgia students and Alabama students, all get the same opportunities and treatment. (And yes, I know those are not binary categories, but just examples.)

That’s one thing the Department does. And yes, sometimes they have to enforce things like that. Did you know that in the early 1980s, Fayette County Schools was under federal supervision because they disciplined Black students disproportionately? And if we get things wrong here sometimes, do you think it might happen in other places where the community is not as dedicated to education and their schools? Someone needs to be monitoring these things, you know, for the children.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Republican administration) required schools to provide appropriate education to students with disabilities. This, along with other federal laws passed in the same time frame, significantly impacted how we evaluate and teach students at every level. Again, morally we need to continue to provide the protections to these students. Georgia was under investigation less than a decade ago for not treating our most vulnerable kids fairly. And again, if it sometimes happens here, it happens in other places too.

Parents love “best practices.” They like when teachers use “research-based” curriculum and “proven” techniques. How do you think we find that stuff? And then share it? Hint: the Department of Education.

The Department also administers grant programs that are crucial to our poorest children. Title I and other programs pay for vital needs that students have. In a wealthier district like Fayette, that’s a lot less than other places. But if you’re looking at this only through your own personal needs, then please go back to the beginning and start with the moral argument again. Making policy for selfish needs is good for despots, but bad for people. Empathy is our superpower.

I didn’t even get to student loans or anything beyond K-12—like Pell grants or student loans. But all of the same arguments apply.

I’ve heard people say that they know some of these things are important, but other people will just do them. Who? And why? In my experience as a business owner, a nonprofit board member, as an elected official, and as just a person who pays attention, you don’t just shut down important things and then add them to unrelated people’s job descriptions. That messes up everything.

Now, we’ve had some pretty bad decades of education policy—from Bush’s No Child Left Behind, where we focused priority on standardized tests, to Obama’s push for charters and privatization. But that isn’t the Department of Education. That’s Congress and the President. The Department doesn’t make educational policies; it provides essential support, guidance, and a national perspective that benefits all.

Bottom line? Getting rid of the Department of Education might sound good on a bumper sticker, but when you dig into what it actually means, it’s a risky move that could seriously harm our kids, especially the ones who are already facing challenges. We need to be strengthening our public schools and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone, not tearing down the very agency that’s supposed to help make that happen.

And PS: Public Schools are not failing or “indoctrinating” your kids. Public Schools are the reason you moved here and why our community is successful. And they are how we care for our most important people.