State Superintendent Tony Thurmond demanded that President-elect Donald Trump commit to preserving the U.S. Department of Education, which the new president threatened to abolish during his campaign.
The leader of the California Department of Education said Friday that lawmakers should replace some of the $79 billion that could be lost under Trump’s plan if the DOE is abolished. The inspector did not want to say where that money might come from.
“This is a matter of continuing to ensure that students have access to the resources they are entitled to under the law,” Thurmond said this during a press conference on Friday.
Thurmond said he was willing to support state legislation to replace federal funding that could be withdrawn under the new administration. The impact of abolishing the DOE on federal education funding to states is not clear. Thurmond said the state will not end special education programs even if federal dollars for them dry up as a result of Trump’s actions.
Thurmond said legislative action to protect education funding was a stopgap measure.
After Governor Gavin Newsom announced a special session Thursday to protect California’s values from a second Trump administration, California Republican leaders condemned the governor’s action as a political stunt. Later on Thursday, Attorney General Rob Bonta spoke about the potential impact of a second Trump term.
“I know Tony Thurmond is jealous that Attorney General Bonta is ahead of him at a resistance-themed press conference, but if he wants to be governor, he has bigger things on his mind. Less than half of California students are meeting standards in English and more than two-thirds are behind in math and science,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City.
Thurmond, who is running for governor in 2026, stood with California lawmakers and educators to reaffirm that state’s commitment to providing educational services to all students. Students with disabilities and children from immigrant families are especially vulnerable to possible actions by Trump, the speakers said.
The federal Education Department is responsible for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, legislation designed to support low-performing schools and students with disabilities, respectively.
“This isn’t just a political fight, it’s a moral fight,” Sacramento City Unified Trustee Chinua Rhodes said Friday. “These protections are not luxuries, they are promises written into the fabric of our nation.”
While campaigning for president, Trump proposed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, said Trump’s threats targeted the most vulnerable students. On Friday, Muratsuchi reaffirmed the state’s commitment to making schools a safe place for all students. He noted that the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling shows that states cannot deny students access to public education regardless of their immigration status.
In addition to threats to dismantle the federal Education Department, the conservative blueprint Project 2025, which former Trump advisers and supporters drafted, proposed privatizing student loans and passing federal legislation on parental rights. Trump distanced himself from the proposal during the campaign, saying he had not read it.
After Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, some of his allies said Project 2025 would be his agenda.
When asked how California would respond to a federal law requiring teachers to inform parents of a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, Thurmond said California respects parents’ rights, but teachers should not be forced to teach LGBTQ+ students who are at greater risk of negative mental problems. health outcomes. He pointed to recent California legislation that protects teachers from being required to report students’ sexual orientation or gender expression.
“Given the magnitude and impact of what has been proposed, we cannot walk flat-footed,” Thurmond said.
Attorney General Rob Bonta used similar language during a press conference on Thursday, casting himself and the California Department of Justice as defenders against Trump. Bonta, a high-profile Democratic politician, has considered running for governor.
The race for governor already includes a cast of Democrats, including Sen. Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Comptroller Betty Yee. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, also recently teased a potential run.
