ROB WITTMAN IS RIGHT Commentary: Gutting the Department of Education will devastate Henrico families

In a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch article (“Wittman questions gutting of U.S. Department of Education,” March 14), U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, shared his concerns about the threats and early efforts to shutter the U.S. Department of Education.

While I am proud to serve on the Henrico County School Board, I am only speaking for myself as a parent, an educator and a community member when I say that I completely agree with Congressman Wittman.

“The Department of Education plays a crucial role in supporting state and local education systems across the country,” Wittman, whose district includes Henrico County, told the Times-Dispatch. “I think there’s a more compassionate way to go about this.”

Wittman added that Congress should be directly involved in this process — reviewing, discussing and voting on these and other proposals.

The good news? As a member of Congress, he has the unique ability to lead the charge to protect and strengthen the USDOE, including aligning his future budget votes, investigations and legislative priorities with his stated belief in the integral nature of federal support for public education.

If the department is completely dismantled, as many in the current administration are advocating, it would spell disaster for students, parents, teachers and communities across the nation.

We don’t need to look beyond the commonwealth for evidence of impacts. Sadly, concrete, painful and enduring pain would be felt right here in Henrico County.

If the department is scrapped, additional staff fired and more funding slashed, as many in Washington are demanding, our kids will be the ones who pay the price.

The numbers don’t lie, and the consequences are all too clear.

Henrico would lose over $25 million for the School Breakfast and Lunch program, depriving over 22,000 hungry Henrico students with the meals they need to thrive academically.

We would also lose over $34 million in federal grants and specialized funding that directly support low-income schools, students and families, as well as English language learners, students with special needs and more.

In total, Henrico County’s school system stands to lose over $60 million. In very real terms, that will mean fewer services for students, fewer resources for teachers, fewer supports for families; it means harmful reductions in after-school programs, STEM programs, technology access and other opportunities our schools and our families rely on.

This doesn’t include the number of students and parents who will be impacted by the dissolution of USDOE’s Office of Civil Rights, nor does it consider the long-term economic and social impacts of derailing students who are already struggling.

It’s no wonder why Congressman Wittman remarked on just how crucial a role the USDOE plays at both the local and state levels.

And yet I understand the pressure the congressman is under. It’s difficult to go against your party, your colleagues and your president. It’s hard to stand up and forge a path that doesn’t conform to what’s long been expected of you.

I’m sure Congressman Wittman is scared, nervous and uncertain about how to proceed in a political climate that demands acquiescence.

I do not envy him. But at a time when far too many elected officials are choosing to avoid engaging with their constituents at home, I ask my congressman to stand up for our shared belief that the USDOE is an essential part of the federal government’s commitment to our students.

Perhaps now more than ever, our community requires courage from our elected officials.

Congressman Wittman understands the importance of this moment. He said as much in his earlier statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, when he invoked not only the importance of USDOE, but the necessity for Congress to take the lead on any decision that would impact its future.

I and so many others find ourselves in full agreement with the congressman’s words, and I implore him to use his unique position as a veteran member of the House (he’s held the seat for 18 years) to advocate for the full restoration and ongoing improvement of a department he rightly identified as “crucial.”