What federal education cuts could mean for the state of Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — State leaders are giving their take on cuts being made at the U.S. Department of Education.

State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said some programs have already been terminated. One of those programs, the Farm to School Program, brings locally grown veggies to cafeterias.

Dr. Mackey said he has concerns about those cuts. He said his team couldn’t reach the U.S. Department of Education yesterday. As Dr. Mackey explained, the department cited staffing issues as the reasoning. Communication has since been restored, and he said it’s been resolved. However, there are concerns.

“We’re gonna do our work,” said Dr. Mackey. “Of course, I certainly believe that it’s the state government that has the most responsibility for education. And we know that. And, we take that very seriously. And we’re gonna continue to serve our students. No matter what happens in Washington.”

Mackey assured teachers and parents there won’t be disruptions.

“Yesterday, a little bit of money that was used to reimburse some teacher salaries was held up. No teacher in this state is even gonna know whether that money was directed at their salary or someone else’s salary,” said Dr. Mackey. “So, that’s gonna be covered. Teachers don’t need to worry about anything.”

Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said she is all for shrinking government.

“Truth be known, every state has an education department. And I know we’ve got a good one in the State Board of Education and local boards that can handle education very well,” she said. “So, I’m gonna trust President Trump on this one.”

Despite the concerns, Dr. Mackey said he is excited about states having more freedom.

“Maybe this will be the time they can really think about ‘what would some innovation look like,’ and ‘what would some flexibility look like,'” he said. “It wouldn’t necessarily apply to whole states. It might apply to districts to say, ‘can a district do this, or do that?’ And try something different.”

Dr. Mackey said about 10% of school funding for the state comes from Washington. Even with the cuts, he said he is optimistic about what it could mean for the future of education in our state.