SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Education Association President Al Llorens released the following statement reacting to Donald Trump’s executive order dismantling the U.S. Department of Education:
“Gutting the U.S. Department of Education means gutting some of the most important programs our public schools provide to the most vulnerable students and that doesn’t make any country greater.
Educators and parents agree that America’s students need more opportunities to succeed and the one way to do that is to strengthen the public schools. Public schools are home to 90 percent of the country’s students and 95 percent of special education students. Public schools are the great equalizer and programs for them should not be cut to give millionaires and billionaires deeper tax cuts. In a country of opportunity like ours, there is no reason to make the rich richer off the backs of our children who need the most services.
No matter where students live in Illinois, DuQuoin to Rockford and the Quad Cities to Effingham, our students deserve the best we have to offer. The federal education department does not guide curriculum in our state. It does not decide what our children will learn. However, it does provide funding for special education programs, food for our neediest children and grants to send our poorest students to college.
We are asking Illinoisans to stand up to protect Illinois’s students. Here are three easy steps:
- Ask your Congressional members to fight back.
- Make this your profile picture on social media.
- Print out this sign and hang it in your window.
What’s happening now is a reverse Robin Hood – taking from the needy to give to the ultra-wealthy. And, we shouldn’t stand for it. We also know that Illinoisans don’t support this idea. Through our annual State of Education in Illinois bipartisan polling, we know:
- 80 percent of our state believes funding for public education should increase.
- 91 percent agree that every child in Illinois has a right to an education at a public school.
- 92 percent believe every child with a disability has the right to a public education in our state.
- Only 11 percent of our state’s adults believe politicians should have any voice in how public schools operate.
Today’s actions are harmful to Illinois students and communities. These cuts harm our children, our students. As the largest education organization in our state, we will continue to fight and we urge other Illinoisans to do the same.”
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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.
