The Trump administration has expressed intentions of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, a federal agency that establishes policy for, administers and coordinates most federal assistance for education. However, the effects of this change on the Northborough-Southborough school district are minimal.
The U.S. Department of Education has minimal impact on ARHS because the Massachusetts government still maintains control of state public educational systems. Establishing schools, developing curricula, setting academic standards and choosing materials are all managed at local levels. Public schools are impacted based on what the state and communities prioritize, with the federal government playing a smaller role. The Department of Education’s responsibilities involve overarching laws regarding students’ rights, particularly students with disabilities.
“At the local level, we’d see a monetary impact,” Martineau said. “We’d receive less IDEA [The Individuals with Disabilities Act] and Title 1 funding [Districts with high percentages of low-income families financial assistance], but that’s a small fraction of our overall budget.”
Superintendent Greg Martineau emphasized that state and local governments still maintain control of educational systems, implying that the dissolution of the Department of Education won’t affect the district’s curriculum. In addition to some budgetary impacts, Martineau believes there could be some, but minimal impact, to the district.
“What we would see is a lack of support from the Massachusetts Department of Education regarding frameworks,” Martineau said. “It would be a bit of a disruption.”
Fortunately, according to administrators, American public schools are highly localized, which means most communities can make decisions on what is taught and where the funding goes. Algonquin is mainly supported by Northborough and Southborough, so Bevan doesn’t believe the potential dissolution of the Department of Education would have a significant impact on the district.
“More than anything, our Massachusetts Department of Education is the one that impacts us the most,” Principal Sean Bevan said. “For example, if they make a decision about MCAS, which they already have, that’s a state decision that will impact you. It takes a long time to filter down from the state level to our community. I’m not too worried that huge, sweeping changes could happen at the federal level.”
Assistant Principal Janet Brown remains confident in the Massachusetts education systems regardless of a federal change.
“Massachusetts has a very strong public education system, and in many ways, we are a beacon for excellence in education,” Brown said.
The potential lack of federal oversight raises concerns about how states might adapt to fill gaps in funding. Luckily, according to Assistant Director of Student Support Services Kathleen Clark, Algonquin benefits from generous local funding, limiting the reliance on federal resources.
“Massachusetts is one of those states that we’re very lucky to be in because education is such a priority here,” Clark said. “My worry wouldn’t be what we would see here in Massachusetts, my worry would be inequities among states. Right now, we already have some educational inequities in states, like there’s some who aren’t performing as well as others. I worry that those divides would get bigger, and that doesn’t feel like the way we want to go.”
