Valley educators call federal funding "essential" as Trump weighs shuttering Dept. of Education

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Valley education leaders are now racing to understand a flurry of executive orders from President Trump, including one that could shut down the federal Department of Education.

"It's created quite a bit of confusion about the educational environment," Merced County Office of Education Superintendent Steve Tietjen, Ed.D., said.

He oversees 20 school districts and administers federal funding for local programs, including $6 million for Special Education.

"That chunk of money flows from the Federal Government to the State and then down to the local level to serve students that are the most disabled," Tietjen said.

He believes the funding is protected by federal mandates, but it is unclear if the process to access it could change.

Sources tell ABC News President Trump could soon close the Department of Education through an executive order.

RELATED: Trump order to dismantle the education department in the works, sources say

"We're ranked at the bottom of the list, were ranked very badly," President Trump said Tuesday. "And what I want to do is let the states run schools. I believe strongly in school choice. But in addition to that, I want the states to run schools."

The president's order would essentially gut the department from the inside out, requiring the Secretary of Education to submit a proposal for dismantling the department.

"The Secretary of Education, however, could never put that plan into effect, and neither could the president, so they can come up with all the plans they want. But they're meaningless," Fresno State Political Science Professor Tom Holyoke said. "Congress would have to act on that plan."

RELATED: Trump's executive order aims to restrict education related to race, gender, politics

A White House reporter pressed the president about the feasibility in the Oval Office.

"Do you think that's something you can do with an Executive Order, or are you going to ask Congress about it?" the reporter asked.

"I'd like to be able to do it," the president said.

President Trump has long campaigned on reforming education, giving greater control to state and county departments.

Tietjen says they are already in charge.

"States already control education," he said. "They already set the guidelines for the curriculum ... That's all state-level law. That's not federal law."

Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Michele Cantwell-Copher, Ed.D., tells Action News she is closely monitoring these reports.

Cantwell-Copher called federal funding "essential" for local programs and says it makes up 17 percent of the office's budget.

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