Summary

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Returning Education to Our States Act, aiming to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, a long-time Republican goal aligned with Trump’s agenda.

The bill proposes redistributing the department’s $200 billion budget and responsibilities to other federal agencies and states, such as shifting federal student loans to the Treasury.

Critics warn this could undermine protections for students with disabilities and marginalized groups.

While the bill faces significant political hurdles, it reflects broader GOP efforts to reduce federal influence over education policy.

      • @CharlesDarwin
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        3813 days ago

        Exactly. I’ve been saying for years that no Republican should be allowed into office, and I stand by that.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 days ago

          Absolutely no politician deserves a seat at the very table they are trying to destroy.

          No Republican (with the exception of two – Romney and Cheney) has condemned J6 and until they do, they absolutely should not get to sit in office.

          Yet…here we are.

          • @CharlesDarwin
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            713 days ago

            By this, I mean the voters deciding, not necessarily legal measures. Although, as you point out, there are definitely times where legal measures should be getting used, such as J6 and the parallel coup attempt.

          • Anas
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            212 days ago

            No Republican […] has not condemned J6

            Double negative :P

    • @[email protected]
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      12 days ago

      Republicans are, in fact, fucking you. Because all you do is complain online like all the other democrats.

      We lost to an orange rapist criminal because losers like you don’t protest with guns, and just finger waggle until the cops break it up.

      Grow some balls like the Black Panther party and buy a fucking gun and protest peacefully or continue arguing from your basement while Republicans gut our programs that help the disenfranchised without consequences.

      • ᗪᗩᗰᑎ
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        912 days ago

        Because all you do is complain online like all the other democrats.

        Oh, you know me personally?

        We lost to an orange rapist criminal because losers like you don’t protest with guns

        Spoken like a true basement dwelling loser. Go back to 4chan, edgelord

        • @[email protected]
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          12 days ago

          How is it edgy to want to fight to continue to exist? You want people to roll over and die? To just let bad shit continue to happen to them?

          Go fuck yourself with this pacifist attitude, it’s done nothing to progress anyone, in fact led democrats to lose to facism.

          • ᗪᗩᗰᑎ
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            711 days ago

            Go fuck yourself with this pacifist attitude

            there you go again, assuming you know anything about who i am, who i support, and what actions i’ve taken/not taken.

            my critique of your attitude is that you blame others in a “matter of fact” way without knowing anything about them. childish, immature, and edgy are appropriate descriptions for your reactions. i’m no longer responding after this as clearly you are quick to anger and anger doesn’t lead to rational thought. if you’re not already seeing a therapist, i strongly suggest it. lashing out and projecting doesn’t hurt anyone but yourself.

  • @kescusay
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    9313 days ago

    Let’s think this through… The US Department of Education’s functions are primarily:

    1. Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.
    2. Collecting data on America’s schools and disseminating research.
    3. Focusing national attention on key educational issues.
    4. Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

    (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Education)

    Regarding #1, blue states don’t receive nearly as much in financial aid for schools as red states. So abolishing the DOE will reduce the tax burden on citizens living in blue states, at the expense of schools in red states.

    Regarding #2, without the DOE compiling this information, it will be up to schools themselves and private research organizations. Badly-performing, severely under-funded schools in red states will, of course, not be able to. Not that they would want to anyway, because without federal assistance, these schools will be in a state of collapse.

    Regarding #3, blue states will just focus attention on key educational issues for themselves, while red states focus on fixing their problems by getting bibles into classrooms.

    Regarding #4, red states will rapidly descend into systematic discrimination again.

    End result: No one will want to hire “graduates” from red states.

    This is a self-own of astonishing proportions. The blue states that don’t heavily depend on the DOE will manage, while the educational infrastructure in the red states completely falls apart. And businesses in need of skilled employees who can, y’know, read will recruit primarily in blue states.

    And the leopards will roam freely through the streets of MAGA-America, feasting on faces in unprecedented numbers.

      • @frunch
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        1813 days ago

        I’ve heard it called “the lesser of the Dakotas”

    • @CharlesDarwin
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      2813 days ago

      And the leopards will roam freely through the streets of MAGA-America, feasting on faces in unprecedented numbers.

      Yeah, but those that were dumbed down by this system will be more numerous and will vote for qons even harder, dragging all of us down with them.

    • @NJSpradlin
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      1713 days ago

      Like the other commenter said, they don’t care about their populous except to remain uneducated and easily controllable, solidifying their conservative control. They’ll bribe the highly educated to come in and lead their industries. Look at any third world country, it’s not their ‘poors’ leading industries, it’s global or foreign experts helping them scrape every drop of wealth from their local communities and environment.

    • @nickiwest
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      1512 days ago

      As a teacher, I have a really strong aversion to framing this as a simple battle between states.

      What you’re talking about may well come to pass, but in reality what it means is that an entire generation of children in poor states – through no fault of their own, but solely because of the geography of their birth – will be woefully undereducated and therefore not competitive in the university admissions process or the job market.

      Whatever face-feasting-leopard karma we think the adults who voted for Republicans might deserve, their children should have the right to a proper education rather than be saddled with a legacy of poverty and ignorance. And in your scenario it’s apparently going to be up to the blue states to care enough about these kids to help ensure their rights.

      • @Ledivin
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        712 days ago

        We gave power to someone who has explicitly stated that he wants to be a dictator. We don’t have political power anymore, and we never will again. It’s not about relishing in failure, it’s about accepting reality.

        Good luck in either the revolution or the collapse, I don’t think we have more than a decade until then.

      • @[email protected]
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        412 days ago

        You describe the already present situation, on a global scale.

        I’m waiting, and expecting, in about 10 to 15 years, blue states will start to limit immigration from those states, as the Federal government will have been neutered too much to stop it.

      • @kescusay
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        212 days ago

        Believe me, I’m not happy about this. It’s a very fatalistic view of times to come. I just don’t see how we stop it at this point. The people voted for this.

    • @[email protected]
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      13 days ago

      …abolishing the DOE will reduce the tax burden on citizens living in blue states…

      There’s no such thing as a “federal education funding tax” applied to each state to collectively fund education across the whole country.

      The IRS will collect the same federal tax that it always has, but Republicans will funnel the former federal public education money to their pet projects: “crisis pregnancy centers,” the military, more tax cuts for billionaires, vouchers for discriminatory private schools, etc.

      Therefore the Blue states will get even less federal funding in return for the federal taxes that their economies generate, but by no means will their federal tax burden go down.

    • @Ledivin
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      812 days ago

      Why would you believe taxes will be reduced? We gave fascists power, they don’t have to negotiate anymore.

      • @kescusay
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        412 days ago

        Fair point, but since they’re planning to basically obliterate the IRS, who is going to check that you’ve paid your federal taxes?

  • @CharlesDarwin
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    7413 days ago

    These people are just such pieces of shit. They truly want to destroy this country and give a decisive lead to the likes of China.

    Letting states like Texas run rampant with teaching total bullshit like creationism without any restraint whatsoever is going to further down this country and we might as well cede all advances to other countries.

  • @captainlezbian
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    6113 days ago

    Ok yes I’m concerned about marginalized and disabled students, but I’m mostly concerned about Americans being too damn dumb already

    • @LifeInMultipleChoice
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      2613 days ago

      10 mins later: Mississippi is introducing a mandated co-op middle and high school. Where students only need to be in class 2 days a week and get hands on experience in desirable fields such as farming/agriculture. You just have to work 2 days a week to make sure you get your credits to get to the next grade!

      • @SupraMario
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        2113 days ago

        Don’t read up on “no child left behind” then, it’s been a huge reason a ton of kids are basically illiterate. Our dept of education doesn’t need to be abolished, it needs to be properly funded, so more schools can be built and teachers can be paid more with smaller class sizes.

        • @Ledivin
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          312 days ago

          It’s not funding, we give more money per student than any other country in the world. We just suck at it and nobody gives a fuck except the teachers - no admins, no students, and no parents.

          • @SupraMario
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            512 days ago

            While this is true, the funding is heavily disproportionately handed out…and yea misused. You can see it in schools for the richer neighborhoods and then the poor ones as well.

          • @SupraMario
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            1012 days ago

            Uhh no, I talk with teachers, two of which are family members. The fuck? Just because someone is against a bullshit law doesn’t make them a repub who watches faux news…the hell.

            • @AA5B
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              111 days ago

              Criticism of nclb is usually the incentive to teach to the test and on punishing schools that need help. Kids may get shortchanged on learning how to think, and on all the material not on the test. However reading is on the test. It’s an attempt to establish standards for reading and to raise them

              • @SupraMario
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                11 days ago

                The issue with the tests is that the funding is tied to the testing. So poorer schools either flub the tests with the kids and not teach them anything or lose funding.

                Standardized testing is the dumbest thing on the planet, and it’s even stupider tying it to funding.

      • @buzz86us
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        -212 days ago

        Well TBH there needs to be more classes on basic skills… I mean knowing about history is nice, but I would have appreciated more classes on wood working, plumbing, tax preparation, and basic vehicle maintenance.

        • @LifeInMultipleChoice
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          312 days ago

          Then figure out what you want and go to a trade school. Where do you live (state). Even Tennessee will pay for that if you live there. Trade schools were promoted by Obama when he tried to figure out free education. Yet the majority of voters faught it. That isn’t the majority of people, it just means people like you, who want trade school made as an investment for the future was chopped short. But it doesn’t mean it’s over. Talk to your city, , county, state they may have people you can call for assistance. Often times, it’s either the Catholic Church or government. Either doesn’t matter. The Catholics won’t require you to attend church or pledge some shit, they just want to know you fit their wage requirements to help as many people as possible.

          • @Ledivin
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            312 days ago

            Learning basic plumbing shouldn’t require that you become a plumber. Learning basic finances shouldn’t require that you become an economist.

            Simple life skills should be the norm in art least high school, but we don’t give a fuck about children in this country.

          • @buzz86us
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            212 days ago

            It shouldn’t have to be in trade school though

    • @asteriskeverything
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      1013 days ago

      Duh. That’s because :

      “The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic department that causes more harm than good,” Rounds said

      /s

      • @captainlezbian
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        612 days ago

        They re-elected the guy who gave the department of education to a member of the Amway (prolific pyramid scheme) family, so honestly I’m not going to say no, but the rich have clearly started tossing industrial excavation tools into the hole we find ourselves in.

  • @[email protected]
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    12 days ago

    FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF, SOUTH DAKOTA.

    You’re a deadbeat state.

    The federal share of South Dakota’s state budget has been above 40% since 2021, when it spiked to 56%.

    The federal government provides aid to states and local governments in the form of grants for programs like education, transportation, and Medicaid.

    • @[email protected]
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      811 days ago

      If the feds ever pays more than half of a states budget that state should immediately have all standing politicians removed and replaced with a temp government while the Fed undoes whatever garbage policies caused that

      In the meantime that state and it’s citizens don’t get representation, they didn’t fucking pay the membership dues to the union

      No taxation without representation works the other way

  • @blady_blah
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    4312 days ago

    Republicans, pro-stupid since 1980!

  • @Clinicallydepressedpoochie
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    12 days ago

    Fine, just murder it already. Sorry we wanted society to have enlightenment. Sorry that got in the way of your insatiable greed.

    • @Etterra
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      2212 days ago

      And religious indoctrination.

  • @[email protected]
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    4112 days ago

    Critics warn this could undermine protections for students with disabilities and marginalized groups.

    Meanwhile Republicans:

    • @[email protected]
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      912 days ago

      At first I thought, “ok they’ve got their mind made up no matter what, nothing can convince them” Then I realized it meant they were enjoying marginalized students being at a bigger disadvantage. Clever panel.

    • Zement
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      12 days ago

      Ignorance is Bliss!

      “Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.” Thomas Gray [TIL]

  • nifty
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    12 days ago

    Any bets on how far US will fall in global rankings? I am guessing maybe two or three places in the next five years

    https://www.cee.org/newsevents/press-releases/index-excellence-stem-education-compares-us-students-global-competition

    Why do some people think that smart immigrants would want to come to the US if the general population is hard to deal with? What part of quality of life do they not understand?

    Okay, let’s take some prosaic examples.

    — H1-B visa man goes to a restaurant. Restaurant staff are racists, QOL degrades, H1-B visa man rethinks staying long term in the U.S.

    — H1-B visa man enrolls children in private school. Private school staff is religious fundies, and education at a public level would be cheaper and better in another country. QOL degrades, H1-B visa man decides to move from the U.S.

    For most skilled immigrants the calculus is based around money and what they get out of it, you shouldn’t expect there’s any intrinsic worth to staying in the U.S. if standards are shit and qualify of life degrades.

    So in simple terms, you’ll have dumber people on average in house and smarter people on average in other countries.

    • @IphtashuFitz
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      1312 days ago

      Hell, who is going to want to come study in the US on a visa if we have mass deportations going on? It’s a pretty safe bet that many of those visa holders will get stopped and challenged multiple times by roaming gangs of thugs looking for illegal immigrants to haul away. And it’s also a pretty safe bet that some of them will simply claim the visas are fake or otherwise invalid and make those students lives miserable as they try to sort things out.

    • GladiusB
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      210 days ago

      They will come for the pay and laugh as they leave.

  • circuitfarmer
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    3513 days ago

    Easiest way to keep voters dumb. The GOP relies on people voting against their own best interests.

    • @LifeInMultipleChoice
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      1013 days ago

      And we know Trump knows this, as he was recorded years before stating the economy does better under Democrats…