Why We Should End the Federal Department of Education (And Why You Should Care)

Why We Should End the Federal Department of Education (And Why You Should Care)

Let me tell you something you probably already know but maybe haven’t said out loud: the federal government doesn’t do a great job of raising your kids.

I know, shocking revelation. Right up there with “the sky is blue” and “you shouldn’t eat gas station sushi.” But here we are, living in a world where the Department of Education—an office full of bureaucrats who probably haven’t stepped foot in a classroom since the Reagan administration—is calling the shots for our kids’ education.

That’s why Rep. Thomas Massie’s bill, H.R. 899, is a breath of fresh air. It’s one sentence long, and honestly, that’s part of what makes it brilliant. No legal jargon, no political double-speak—just ten words that do something profound: terminate the Federal Department of Education.

More Power to Parents, More Freedom for Teachers

Look, I’m a pastor, not a politician. But I do know that when God gave children to parents, He didn’t say, “Raise them up in the way Washington sees fit.” He put that responsibility squarely on moms and dads. And yet, we’ve somehow let a group of unelected officials dictate what’s best for our kids. The Department of Education isn’t a school—it’s a middleman. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that middlemen don’t usually make things better.

You ever had a problem with your internet service and had to call one of those offshore call centers? You explain your issue to one person, who transfers you to another, who transfers you to another, until you end up on hold for 45 minutes listening to elevator music. That’s what the Department of Education has become.

A giant, expensive game of bureaucratic hot potato that keeps real decision-makers—teachers and parents—from actually leading our schools.

One Size Fits Nobody

Now, I know what some folks will say: “But what about standards? What about equity? What about keeping up with the rest of the world?”

Let me ask you something: if federal control over education was the golden ticket, why are test scores dropping? Why are teachers leaving the profession in droves? Why are so many parents pulling their kids out of public schools altogether?

Because a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when kids aren’t one size.

You ever try to buy a “one size fits all” hat? If you’ve got a head like mine, that hat is either cutting off your circulation or sitting up there like a beanie on a watermelon. That’s what the federal education system is—a hat that doesn’t fit, no matter how many times they try to stretch it.

Different states have different needs. Different communities have different challenges. Different kids have different learning styles. Why in the world would we think that some centralized office in D.C. knows better than the teachers in our hometowns?

H.R. 899 would cut the red tape, end the cookie-cutter policies, and put education back where it belongs—in the hands of local communities.

Saving Money, Strengthening Schools

You want to know how much the Department of Education costs taxpayers every year? $268.35 billion.

That’s billion with a “B.” To put that in perspective, that’s more than the entire GDP of countries like New Zealand or Portugal. And yet, despite that mountain of money, public schools across the country are struggling. Teachers are overworked and underpaid, classrooms are overcrowded, and test scores keep sliding downhill like a greased-up sled in a Mississippi rainstorm.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen small churches do a whole lot with a whole little. We stretch a dollar like it’s our spiritual gift. Meanwhile, the Department of Education is burning through hundreds of billions on administrative costs, consultant fees, and top-heavy bureaucracy—most of which never makes it into an actual classroom.

Imagine what could happen if that money stayed in local schools instead of getting funneled through Washington. States could fund education based on their actual needs, schools could pay teachers competitive salaries, and students could get resources that actually make a difference—without some federal office telling them how to do it.

You know, like shop class, where kids used to learn how to change a tire instead of memorizing TikTok dances.

H.R. 899 isn’t about cutting funding for education—it’s about cutting out the middleman. And when the middleman is costing us over a quarter of a trillion dollars a year while failing our kids, I’d say it’s time for a change.

A Future Worth Fighting For

At the end of the day, this isn’t about politics. It’s about priorities. It’s about whether we believe moms and dads should have more say over their children’s education than a bunch of policymakers who wouldn’t last five minutes in a classroom full of second graders.

We’ve let the federal government hold the reins of our schools for long enough, and what do we have to show for it? More standardized tests, more frustrated teachers, and more kids graduating without the basic skills they need to thrive in the real world.

H.R. 899 is a simple bill with a simple message: it’s time to trust local communities again. It’s time to believe that teachers actually know how to teach. It’s time to return education back to the people who care about it the most.

Because Washington, D.C., might have a lot of opinions about your child’s future—but only you have to live with the results.

And that’s worth fighting for.