CHESAPEAKE, Va. — This week, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Virginia is ready to take full responsibility for K-12 education after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Education to be dismantled.
The department largely helps states fund programs, dividing funding between schools based on need and population.
Still, those who work with some of the community's most vulnerable children hope localities are truly prepared to step up in order to avoid devastating interruptions in essential services.
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ForKids, a nonprofit organization based in Chesapeake, provides wraparound services to families and children in Hampton Roads, many of whom face housing instability.
"I think that's a reality we do need people to understand is we do have kids [in Hampton Roads] who are sleeping on playgrounds until we can get them into shelters," said Bjorn Koxvold, government relations manager for ForKids.
The nonprofit wants to ensure that kids' education remains uninterrupted.
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Koxvold explained that ForKids is neither directly or indirectly funded by the Department of Education, but he noted that the children they serve could still be affected by its dismantling.
"What we're expecting at this point is families are already experiencing shortfalls, and this is only going to exacerbate that," he said.
The nonprofit anticipates a ripple effect in its after-school education programs and educational inequities if school resources for low-income students are reduced.
Although federal funding makes up only a small portion of school budgets overall, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News Public Schools receive millions in Title I funds to support students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Without those funds, those at ForKids worry schools may cut intervention programs that help struggling students and disproportionately impact children experiencing homelessness.
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Koxvold emphasized that the Department of Education also plays a crucial role in helping children experiencing homelessness have stability in their educations.
"What happens is if [the kids are] in our shelter, for example, but they're attending school in Virginia Beach or Norfolk, the McKinney-Vento Act requires that school to provide transportation for that child to get to their school of origin," Koxvold said. "That's really important because you can imagine if kids switch schools, they're learning from a brand new teacher, and the lesson plan may not align with what it was before. When we keep them in their school of origin what we see is they're able to succeed."
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is federal law that ensures the educational rights of kids experiencing homelessness. It's part of Title IX, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
That's why those at ForKids want to ensure that localities are prepared to meet these challenges.
"When the Department of Education functions correctly, they step in and provide many fillers for those gaps," Koxvold said. "We'll need the state and localities to step up if the federal level isn't there for them."
The dismantling of the Department of Education is not a done deal; lawsuits could slow the process, and full elimination would require an act of Congress.
