April 2025
April 2025
By Peter Mannella
LOTS HAPPENING IN OUR NATION’ S CAPITAL!
Federal Policy and Program Activity
It goes without saying that our federal government is in the midst of a major shift in philosophy, policy and practice. The incoming administration is laser focused on advancing conservative concepts including some that have been espoused over many years and by many candidates and elected officials. As these policies and budget decisions are made public and debate ensues, NAPT will find ourselves discussing topics that were off our radar in recent years. This makes for exciting times and opportunities to grow as an association and to support the growth of our members on broader education topics as well.
A good example of this is the presidential executive order requiring the closure of the US Education Department. President Trump is not the first president to call for such an action; Ronald Reagan campaigned against it in the 1980 election shortly after it was created under President Carter. And it has been on the proverbial chopping block year after year. As we look at this action as a national association, our position on the closing of the Department is outside our general purview as observers and advocates and would not carry much weight. That said, we would have an important role in speaking out to ensure that our schools receive sufficient funds to continue to provide services for students with disabilities under IDEA. We are also hopeful that the dissolution of the department will not adversely affect Title I funds that support our schools in many ways, including transportation for students who are homeless. We note here that AASA and other key educational organizations wrote a joint letter to the Education Secretary explaining reasons they are opposed to the closure of the department. They argued in relation to the various critical roles of the department and how those would be lost in the event of the ultimate closure of the agency.
Another example is the new administration’ s approach to immigration and deportation. How to handle the thousands of people who cross our southern border has been a hot-button issue over several presidencies and remains a contentious issue today. The current administration is
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