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President Trump’s executive order calling for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education was met with uncertainty Friday at some Southern California school districts, where educators and activists worry any federal funding cuts could impact already cash-strapped budgets and threaten programs for disadvantaged students. 

“Any significant change at the appropriation level, undermining current funding levels, could prove to be catastrophic in terms of the quality of education kids get,” Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “It could mean an end to after-school programs, an end to tutorial programs. It could be the loss of a teacher’s aide in a special needs classroom. It could be the end of supper or a snack for after-school programs benefiting kids. That’s what’s at stake.”

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to begin dismantling the US Department of Education, raising new questions for public schools and parents.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that “attempting to dismantle the Department of Education is one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken.” He warned the “horrible decision” will hurt kids, parents and increase property taxes.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren slammed the move as a “code red for every public school student, parent, and teacher in this country.” In a statement, she said they will “pay a heavy price.”

President Trump's long-anticipated action will affect how billions of dollars in federal funding for California will be distributed to millions of students, educators and institutions.

Trump’s impact on education already has been substantial in California. The administration yanked federal funding from entities that don’t go along with his agenda, especially Trump’s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, or DEI, and his efforts to remove transgender students as a protected group under anti-discrimination laws.

Despite having some of the nation’s strictest school vaccination laws, California reported a decline last year in the share of kindergarten students who were immunized against measles, including in 16 counties where students no longer have herd immunity against one of the most contagious diseases. 

When the Trump administration announced last week that about half the staff of the U.S. Department of Education were to be laid off, the slashing closed down the San Francisco regional branch of the Office for Civil Rights responsible for providing the state’s students protection from discrimination.

The California office handled a bulging caseload of students, families and school staff: alleged unequal academic instruction for disabled students; allegations of campus sexual assault; claims of unfair discipline meted out to students of color; alleged bullying of LGBTQ+ students.

For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive. Changes at the Education Department are likely to make the process even more difficult, advocates for kids with disabilities say. 

While local and state governments provide the vast majority of funding and governance for TK-12 schools and higher education, the federal government handles key aspects of education including the enforcement of civil rights laws, authorized by Congress, through its Office for Civil Rights in order to protect students from discrimination. California alone has more than 700 pending complaints of civil rights violations.

The states allege the cuts amount to an illegal shutdown of the Education Department’s crucial, congressionally-mandated work, including protecting civil rights.