DENVER — On Thursday, multiple sources told ABC News President Donald Trump would not be signing an executive order that would dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, as was previously reported.
The apparent backtrack from the Trump administration came as a sigh of relief for those who say the department is vital for children across the country and in Colorado.
"Fear and anxiety," said Robert Gould, a special education teacher and president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. "As teachers, we're supporting students from every economic background, right?"
Gould said the potential dissolving of the Department of Education could hurt the amount of federal funding districts across the state receive.
"If those funds are withheld, that's going to hurt our most vulnerable population. The students that we're talking about that that those funds serve, those are those are students with special needs," Gould said. "If they take those funds, we won't be able to support those students."
For the 2024-2025 school year, the Colorado Department of Education received an estimated $870,229,410 in federal funds. The graph below shows the other sources that funded the state department of education.
Parents like Ciara Faber, who has one child already enrolled at a DPS school, and hopes to soon enroll her youngest, said she's overwhelmed by the news surrounding the Department of Education.
"First of all, for how it can jeopardize public education," she said. "I know this school and other schools in Denver rely on federal funding as well, and we're already in a tight spot having to do a lot of fundraising."
Faber told Denver7 she thinks of families besides hers when she thinks about the potential dismantling of the department of education.
"I'm nervous about that from a personal perspective, and then generally knowing that the Department of Education provides programs to assist kids with special needs and the lunch programs," she said. "I know Denver has its own special funding for the food program, but that comes to mind for other kids who rely on these meals."
As for Gould, he said the latest news about the backtrack from the administration provides slight relief.
"I think breathing right now, but still on pins and needles, because it can happen tomorrow. It can happen the next day," he said.
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