Maine Teachers, Parents & Students Protest Department of Education Cuts in Portland
On Wednesday, educators, students, parents and community leaders gathered before school at Deering High School, Rowe Elementary, and Presumpscot Elementary in Portland to show support for public schools. The event was organized by Portland Education Association as part of the National Education Association's National Walk-In Day to protect students and defend public schools.
The union is calling attention to recent changes within the U.S. Department of Education, including laying off roughly 1,300 employees, eliminating nearly half of the department’s workforce. On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing US education secretary Linda McMahon to start dismantling the Department of Education, even though that requires Congressional approval
Educators have warned that the action threatens services for students with disabilities and students from low-income families.
“As a kid, I don’t really know a lot about the government, but what I do know is that right now, they’re trying to take money away from schools,” EJ, a fourth-grade student, told Channel 5 News at the Rowe Elementary School protest. “I think we should stand together and let them know this is something we don’t want to happen.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said shuttering the Department of Education is a "radical plan, ripped from the pages of Project 2025."
"Without the Department of Education, working people will have one more hurdle to access the financial aid they need to go to college or pursue a trade," Shuler said in a statement. "Kids from working-class families—especially kids with disabilities—will be left behind, unable to access the education they need to succeed. States, cities and towns will be forced to stretch their already tight budgets to cover the loss in federal funding, jeopardizing essential programs and putting good union jobs our communities rely upon at risk. None of this makes sense for America’s working families."