Here's the Scoop The Quiet Breakup of the Education Department; Inside Iran’s Water Emergency
Nov 19, 2025
Erica Meltzer, national editor at Chalkbeat, delves into the U.S. Education Department's controversial reorganization and its potential to disrupt educational oversight and funding. She highlights concerns over fragmented services and resource losses for schools. Meanwhile, Amin Khodadadi, an NBC News producer in Tehran, paints a grim picture of Iran's water crisis, detailing overwhelmed infrastructure and government responses. He emphasizes the urgent need for solutions as the capital faces possible evacuation amid severe shortages.
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Federal Education Functions Being Reassigned
- The Trump administration is using interagency agreements to move major Education Department functions into other agencies like Labor and State.
- This approach legally sidesteps Congress and advances a long-term goal to dismantle the federal Education Department.
Decentralization Risks Fragmenting Expertise
- The administration is parceling education tasks across agencies, potentially leaving the Education Department a cabinet title in name only.
- Officials anticipate more functions, like special education, may move, fragmenting centralized expertise.
Local Schools Rely On Centralized Expertise
- Districts rely on Department of Education expertise for technical questions and program guidance.
- Splitting functions risks losing that centralized knowledge and causing operational disruption at the district level.