Letter from 242 State Legislators to President Trump on Keeping the U.S. Department of Education Open
View a PDF of the letter here.
April 9, 2025
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Trump,
The 242 undersigned state legislators join with the civil rights community to urge you to reverse course on your reckless agenda to destroy the U.S. Department of Education. We, elected state leaders, did not request a closure of the Department of Education as directed by your executive order on March 20, 2025, and we have significant concerns regarding this decision. Although this move has been described as “returning power to the states,” there is no part of this plan that better enables state and local leaders to meet the needs of their communities. Providing for the education of our nation’s youth is one of the most important responsibilities of government, and leaders at every level must do their part to ensure that the resources, guidance, and guardrails are in place to ensure equal opportunity to a high quality education that prepares students for success in college, careers, life, and the full exercise of their social, political, and economic rights. Your effort to abdicate the federal government’s role as a partner is a dereliction of duty, a failure to follow the law, and a betrayal of the constituents we represent.
The federal government has long played a crucial role in education by protecting students from discrimination and promoting educational equity. Since its creation, the Department of Education has directed funding toward the most marginalized students — students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English language learners, and others facing significant barriers to success. Mass firings, office closures, and canceled contracts will disrupt this essential funding and weaken oversight of the resources allocated by Congress, which will disproportionately harm the most marginalized students we represent. While the federal government has played an essential role in education, state and local bodies have always been primarily responsible for the daily administration of education, implementing policies that address their communities’ unique needs. This collaborative balance ensures stability, equity, and progress in our education system. Upending this balance by eviscerating the federal role is unnecessary and disruptive to the very framework that supports student success.
The Department of Education is not just a source of funding; it plays a critical, irreplaceable role in enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws and ensuring equal access to education for all students. Actions you have taken since assuming office have eroded the department’s Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) ability to provide technical assistance to families and educators, prevent discrimination, collect data to help us understand where educational opportunity continues to be unequal, and respond promptly and thoroughly to complaints of discrimination. As elected state leaders who visit schools in our communities, speak with families, and know the educators in our communities, we have a direct understanding of the importance of making greater and faster progress toward advancing equal opportunity for students. To make greater gains — rather than closing doors, shutting down research, and gutting the protections promised to our constituents — we must instead collaborate with federal partners to take proactive action to ensure that every student has access to high quality early learning, research-based reading instruction, college preparatory math and science courses, and affordable higher education.
Policymakers at all levels play a vital role in shaping education. As state legislators, we remain committed to fulfilling our responsibilities and urge the federal government to do the same. While we stand ready to work with any good-faith effort to improve education and make needed improvements to ensure the success of all students, we reject any agenda that undermines equity, relinquishes federal responsibility, or weakens the critical role of the Department of Education. We urge you to reverse course.
Sincerely,
Senator Robert Stewart, Alabama
Representative Jeremy Gray, Alabama
Representative Laura Hall, Alabama
Representative Kenyatte’ Hassell, Alabama
Representative Phillip Ensler, Alabama
Representative Neil Rafferty, Alabama
Representative Napoleon Bracy, Alabama
Representative Thomas E Jackson, Alabama
Representative Kelvin Lawrence, Alabama
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson, Alaska
Senator Scott Kawasaki, Alaska
Senator Löki Gale Tobin, Alaska
Representative Zack Fields, Alaska
Senator Lauren Kuby, Arizona
Representative Stephanie Simacek, Arizona
Representative Brian Garcia, Arizona
Representative Sarah Liguori, Arizona
Assistant Democratic Leader Nancy Gutierrez, Arizona
Senator Jamie Scott, Arkansas
Senator Lisa Cutter, Colorado
Senator Chris Kolker, Colorado
Senator Matt Ball, Colorado
Senator Jessie Danielson, Colorado
Senator Nick Hinrichsen, Colorado
Senator Cathy Kipp, Colorado
Senator Janice Marchman, Colorado
Senator Katie Wallace, Colorado
Senator Tony Exum Sr., Colorado
Senator Julie Gonzales, Colorado
Representative Kyle Brown, Colorado
Senator Matthew Lesser, Connecticut
Assistant Majority Leader Hubert Delany, Connecticut
Representative Robin Comey, Connecticut
Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo, Connecticut
Representative Lucy Dathan, Connecticut
Representative Kate Farrar, Connecticut
Representative Jaime Foster, Connecticut
Representative Nick Menapace, Connecticut
Senator Elizabeth Lockman, Delaware
Representative Frank Burns, Delaware
Representative Mara Gorman, Delaware
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, District of Columbia
Senator Kristen Arrington, Florida
Representative Rita Harris, Florida
Representatives Lydia Glaize, Georgia
Representative Jasmine Clark, Georgia
Representative Shea Roberts, Georgia
Representative El-Mahdi Holly, Georgia
Representative Marvin Lim, Georgia
Senator Stanley Chang, Hawaii
Senator Angus McKelvey, Hawaii
Representative Jeanne Kapela, Hawaii
Representative Trish La Chica, Hawaii
Representative Tina Nakada Grandinetti, Hawaii
Representative Amy Perruso, Hawaii
Senator Mary Edly-Allen, Illinois
Senator Robert Peters, Illinois
Representative Maura Hirschauer, Illinois
Representative Will Guzzardi, Illinois
Representative Stephanie Kifowit, Illinois
Representative Theresa Mah, Illinois
Representative Kevin Olickal, Illinois
Senator Shelli Yoder, Indiana
Representative Gregory Porter, Indiana
Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn, Indiana
Senator Claire Celsi, Iowa
Senator Art Staed, Iowa
Senator Pat Pettey, Kansas
Representative Heather Meyer, Kansas
Senator Karen Berg, M.D., Kentucky
Representative Mary Lou Marzian, Kentucky
Representative Michael Brennan, Maine
Representative Gary Friedmann, Maine
Representative Marc Malon, Maine
Representative Julie McCabe, Maine
Representative Jan Dodge, Maine
Representative Laurie Osher, Maine
Representative Amy Roeder, Maine
Senator Shelly Hettleman, Maryland
House Majority Whip Jazz Lewis, Maryland
Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins, Maryland
Delegate Dylan Behler, Maryland
Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, Maryland
Delegate Elizabeth Embry, Maryland
Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Maryland
Senator Patricia Jehlen, Massachusetts
Senator Paul Mark, Massachusetts
Representative Manny Cruz, Massachusetts
Representative Dennis Gallagher, Massachusetts
Representative Homar Gomez, Massachusetts
Representative Tara T. Hong, Massachusetts
Representative Tram Nguyen, Massachusetts
Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, Massachusetts
Representative David LeBoeuf, Massachusetts
Representative Steve Owens, Massachusetts
Representative Michelle Badger, Massachusetts
Senator Sue Shink, Michigan
Senator Sarah Anthony, Michigan
Senator Dayna Polehanki, Michigan
Representative Erin Byrnes, Michigan
Representative Tyrone Carter, Michigan
Representative Reggie Miller, Michigan
Representative Jason Morgan, Michigan
Representative Jimmie Wilson, Jr., Michigan
Representative Noah Arbit, Michigan
Representative Laurie Pohutsky, Michigan
Representative Senator Liz Boldon, Minnesota
Senator Scott Dibble, Minnesota
Senator Omar Fateh, Minnesota
Senator Nicole Mitchell, Minnesota
Representative Rick Hansen, Minnesota
Representative Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley, Minnesota
Representative Kim Hicks, Minnesota
Representative Sydney Jordan, Minnesota
Representative Maria Isa Pérez-Vega, Minnesota
Representative Dave Pinto, Minnesota
Representative Lucy Rehm, Minnesota
Senator Hillman Frazier, Mississippi
Representative Carl Mickens, Mississippi
Representative LaDonna Appelbaum, Missouri
Senator Andrea Olsen, Montana
Representative Melissa Romano, Montana
Representative Donavon Hawk, Montana
Representative James Reavis, Montana
Senator Julie Pazina, Nevada
Assembly Member Brittney Miller, Nevada
Assembly Member Jovan Jackson, Nevada
Representative Donald Bouchard, New Hampshire
Representative Dan LeClerc, New Hampshire
Representative William Palmer, New Hampshire
Representative Susan Almy, New Hampshire
Representative Peggy Balboni, New Hampshire
Representative Dan Bergeron, New Hampshire
Representative Tracy Bricchi, New Hampshire
Representative Suzanne Chretien, New Hampshire
Representative John Cloutier, New Hampshire
Representative Thomas Cormen, New Hampshire
Representative Will Darby, New Hampshire
Representative Loren Foxx, New Hampshire
Representative Jaci Grote, New Hampshire
Representative Timothy Horrigan, New Hampshire
Representative Heath Howard, New Hampshire
Representative Louis Juris, New Hampshire
Representative Allison Knab, New Hampshire
Representative David Meuse, New Hampshire
Representative Jodi Newell, New Hampshire
Representative Thomas Oppel, New Hampshire
Representative Terri O’Rorke, New Hampshire
Representative Ellen Rockmore, New Hampshire
Representative Samantha Jacobs, New Hampshire
Representative Nancy Murphy, New Hampshire
Representative Marc Plamondon, New Hampshire
Senator Vin Gopal, New Jersey
Senator Bob Smith, New Jersey
Assembly Member Margie Donlon, New Jersey
Assembly Member Luanne Peterpaul, New Jersey
Assembly Member Balvir Singh, New Jersey
Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, New Mexico
Senator Harold Pope Jr., New Mexico
Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, New Mexico
Representative Andrea Romero, New Mexico
Representative Martha Garcia, New Mexico
Representative Yanira Gurrola V., New Mexico
Senator Andrew Gounardes, New York
Senator Roxanne Persaud, New York
Assembly Member Harry Bronson, New York
Assembly Member Noah Burroughs, New York
Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, New York
Assembly Member Judy Griffin, New York
Assembly Member Jen Lunsford, New York
Assembly Member Steven Raga, New York
Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, New York
Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, New York
Assembly Member Robert Carroll, New York
Senator Natalie Murdock, North Carolina
Senator Woodson Bradley, North Carolina
Senator Caleb Theodros, North Carolina
Representative Mary Belk, North Carolina
Representative Rodney Pierce, North Carolina
Representative Tracy Clark, North Carolina
Representative Pricey Harrison, North Carolina
Representative Frances Jackson, North Carolina
Representative Renee Price, North Carolina
Representative Phil Rubin, North Carolina
Senator Tim Mathern, North Dakota
Representative Collette Brown, North Dakota
Representative Austin Foss, North Dakota
Representative Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, Ohio
Representative Karen Brownlee, Ohio
Representative Christine Cockley, Ohio
Representative Michele Grim, Ohio
Representative Dani Isaacsohn, Ohio
Representative Tristan Rader, Ohio
Representative Anita Somani, Ohio
Representative Eric Synenberg, Ohio
Representative Desiree Tims, Ohio
Representative Erika White, Ohio
Senator Sara Gelser Blouin, Oregon
Representative Lisa Fragala, Oregon
Representative Courtney Neron, Oregon
Representative Ricki Ruiz, Oregon
Senator Katie Muth, Pennsylvania
Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Pennsylvania
Representative Lisa Borowski, Pennsylvania
Representative Paul Friel, Pennsylvania
Representative Nancy Guenst, Pennsylvania
Representative Emily Kinkead, Pennsylvania
Representative Bob Merski, Pennsylvania
Representative Nikki Rivera, Pennsylvania
Representative Mike Schlossberg, Pennsylvania
Representative Aerion Abney, Pennsylvania
Representative Steve Malagari, Pennsylvania
Senator Melissa Murray, Rhode Island
Senator Jonathon Acosta, Rhode Island
Senator Ana Quezada, Rhode Island
Senator Sam Bell, Rhode Island
Senator Dawn Euer, Rhode Island
Senator Meghan Kallman, Rhode Island
Senator Valarie Lawson, Rhode Island
Representative Rebecca Kislak, Rhode Island
Representative Leonela Felix, Rhode Island
Representative Eric Emery, South Dakota
Representative Aftyn Behn, Tennessee
Representative Karen Camper, Tennessee
Representative Jesse Chism, Tennessee
Senator Molly Cook, Texas
Representative Toni Rose, Texas
Senator Nate Blouin, Utah
Senator Ruth Hardy, Vermont
Representative Bridget Burkhardt, Vermont
Representative Scott Campbell, Vermont
Representative Esme Cole, Vermont
Representative Abbey Duke, Vermont
Representative Jubilee McGill, Vermont
Representative Phillip Pouech, Vermont
Representative Larry Satcowitz, Vermont
Senator Saddam Salim, Virginia
Senator Claire Wilson, Washington
Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, Washington
Representative Kristine Reeves, Washington
Representative Joan Fitzgerald, Wisconsin
Representative Supreme Moore Omokunde, Wisconsin