President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Mar. 25 to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, claiming that the department has spent over $3 trillion without improving national test scores and student achievements since its founding in 1979.

The move is part of Trump’s promise to return control of education and much of its funding to individual states, away from the federal government. Although the Department of Education enforces civil rights laws and manages federal funding, it does not control what schools teach; that responsibility belongs to state and local governments, which provide nearly 90% of public school funding through taxes. Trump’s plan aims to give those governments even greater authority.

Although the order does not immediately eliminate any major programs, it puts the department’s future in question. Most of the Department’s budget goes to major grant and loan programs such as the $18.4 billion Title I program for high-poverty schools and the $15.5 billion IDEA program for students with disabilities. The White House announced that these programs, along with the $1.6 trillion federal student loan system, would not be affected by the new executive order, although it is still unclear how much of the department can be cut without affecting them.

“The department of education has very vital functions,” James Dillhoff, government and politics teacher, said. “While education is largely handled by the states, the department of education ensures the equal rights and opportunities to education by supporting protections such as the enforcement of the IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act. I am concerned that those critical protections are going to be minimized or eliminated. If federal support is reduced, we would also see disparities between states. Some might fully fund these programs, while others could scale them back significantly, leaving vulnerable students without the support they need.”