Project 2025, pages 319 and 325

“Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Depart­ment of Education should be eliminated. …

"The federal government should confine its involvement in education policy to that of a statistics-gathering agency that disseminates information to the states."

PSEA's view:

"Shutting down the Department of Education and laying off staff isn’t about reforming how government works. It is about dismantling public education as we know it, disrespecting our work, and giving up on a generation of students.

"It will put $1.6 billion in federal funding for Pennsylvania’s public schools at risk. A big piece of that funding supports special education services for the more than 300,000 students in Pennsylvania with IEPs."

- PSEA Vice President Jeff Ney

Project 2025, Page 302

"Federal meal programs for K–12 students were created to provide food to children from low-income families while at school. Today, however, federal school meals increasingly resemble entitlement programs that have strayed far from their original objective and represent an example of the ever-expanding federal footprint in local school operations."

PSEA's view:

"School meal programs bring major health benefits for students. Students who eat breakfast miss fewer school days and show better results in their classrooms. According to the School Nutrition Association, students who eat breakfast have better concentration and memory, are more alert, and are better able to maintain healthy weights. Slashing federal funding for school meal programs will hurt kids. Period.”

- PSEA Treasurer Rachael West

Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education will slash funding for key programs that support our youngest and most vulnerable students. 

Participating in Head Start is associated with a wide range of benefits to both those who attend and the greater society. Head Start not only provides vital childcare services to low-income families but also provides a service-oriented hub for both parents and children. Head Start programs build on the strengths of local communities to create access to education, health services, job and career connections, and more. It is through this comprehensive integration of learning-focused support that Head Start programs provide a wide expanse of benefits.

PSEA’s view:

“Since taking office, the current administration has cut staff at the U.S. Department of Education in half, undermining its ability to carry out responsibilities that states, students, and their families have relied on for decades. This is shortsighted, incredibly damaging, and just, plain wrong.”

- PSEA Vice President Jeff Ney

We joined this union because we are stronger together. We value collective action because it works to protect our rights and our ability to bargain for professional salaries, benefits, and working conditions.

The current administration has already terminated contracts for nearly 450,000 public sector workers, setting a dangerous precedent for our rights to form a union and bargain for our salaries, benefits, and working conditions.

PSEA’s view:

“This is the largest act of union busting in American history. Union busting at the federal level legitimizes union busting everywhere, eroding the standard of living for all workers, and signaling that lawmakers here in Pennsylvania could strip us of our bargaining rights.”

- PSEA President Aaron Chapin