Yet wasted it is.
Mark Alford (r) [2024 file photo].
Today:
Congressman Mark Alford
[March 20, 2025]
Education belongs to parents and local communities–not Washington bureaucrats. [….]
Trump’s Executive Order to dismantle the Department of Education is a step toward school choice, accountability, and putting students first.
As usual, there was much hilarity in the responses:
When are you going to introduce legislation to overturn Brown v. Board of Education? Can local schools decide they will provide no help to non-English speaking students?
Missouri is already ranked 32nd in education. Dismantling the DOE and pulling funding will ensure that we are last. Ask Oklahoma how their voucher system is going [….] our students deserve better
oh yes it was so much better when schools were segregated and didn’t have to provide accommodations for children with disabilities. Those good old days!
the Federal Government had to intervene and enforce the integration. Had it been left up to some of the states, they would probably still be segregated. Those good old days that MAGA wants back so badly.
the federal government should and killed students for attending the wrong school. The days demoncRats was in charge of. The schools aren’t losing money only crooks. Each state was in charge of schools when our country was prosperous what works in California doesn’t work in Missouri.
We rest our case.
I am on the local school board because I hate the way Obama was ruining it. We have imput but demoncRats rule with iron fist. They are the true dictators. And watch some real news he did a speech 2 days ago showing his plan to lower taxes on anyone under 150k a year and no tax on ss or over time or tips. You can Google it if you are smart enough.
On the local school board. Really?
President Barack Obama [2013 file photo].
What an all-powerful demon, eh?
There is no school choice for rural families, poor families, or kids with disabilities. Go visit some rural schools in your district and see what the families have to say.
Been an educator since 1991. School choice has always existed! Defunding public education will be catastrophic. We are already overworked, underpaid, and because my campus is not a title one campus we have bare bones when it comes to staffing, paraprofessionals, and so many other things students need to be successful! Many of us are seasoned teachers who have poured our hearts into hundreds of lives…I work with amazing educators in Amarillo, TX. This move means, we will be expected to do more with less. Not a solution that validates or supports all that so many of us do day in and day out!
oh yes the glory days of segregation and putting children with disabilities in special schools to learn basket weavings
you just proved our point about education. At least before the DOE the kids could read, write, knew the constitution, was proud of their country and family and knew which bathrooms to use!!!!!!!!!((((((((
Apparently, though, they skipped verb conjugation in those days.
you’re 100% incorrect. But by all means, please continue to parrot the lies and stupidity you’ve been told. It makes you sound exceptionally intelligent.
There has been federal oversight of education since 1866, you potato.
Maybe but times have changed. If I had active shooter drills back in the 60’s and 70’s I probably wouldn’t have excelled. I would of spent my day staring at the door fearing my death.
we had fun racks in most trucks. Kids were taught gun safety. Didn’t have to worry about active shooters because parents disciplined their children and they were involved!!!
Ah, the one true Amendment.
Well done Mr Alford on representing Missouri in Washington. You are a complete disgrace. Thanks and enjoy all the continued protests are your speaking engagements.
Education is already in state and local control – and look how well they’ve done!
What a crock! Vote this guy out!
Congressman Mark Alford I have been an educator for 25 years in Missouri. It is a fact that all of the curriculum I have ever taught was written locally to Missouri’s standards. State and local funding has always covered over 90% of our budget. We continue to have one of the most decentralized education systems in the world. Congrats on fooling most of the country into thinking the Department of Education is responsible for the failure of the states and convincing all those red states who get proportionally more federal funding than the blue states to give up those dollars. I guess we can hope our rural and small town schools will be taken care of by the General Assembly but I won’t hold my breath.
when you hit August and your building has 4 or 5 additional ELL students requiring a Spanish speaking para though, a federal grant steps in where there is no state money. Where my wife worked in Hickman Mills and they needed ten additional early childhood teachers plus paras plus classroom equipment, a federal grant steps in where there is no state funding. In rural Missouri where high speed internet costs twice as much and costs are spread over fewer students, federal grants cover equipment that is only partially funded by the state’s foundation formula (which still favors wealthy suburbs because the General Assembly is more worried about vouchers and school choice than rural and small town districts). The ability to flex staffing and cover costs that hit some districts harder than others is handled in Missouri thanks to federal grants. Yeah, my salary still ranks at the bottom nationally but that isn’t because the Department of Education isn’t trying to help. The General Assembly just keeps skipping out on us because the voters don’t really care behind our backs. I don’t get much federal aid (and I’m paying back my student loans with interest–already paid 160% of the principle) but when I can communicate with my ELL students and have help accommodating my special education students it makes it possible to do my job better. It’s going to be tougher without the federal Department of Education and Missouri’s track record for stepping up does not inspire confidence.
about 60% went to student aid for Pell Grants, work study, and loans. The rest goes to the states by grants (Missouri grabbed about $2 billion) for serving disabled and poor students. A little bit is used for collecting data.
Your district will suffer. Good luck.
I wish people who have no background in educating would remember that local communities ESPECIALLY here in Missouri count heavily on federal funds for schools. Especially since Missouri’s legislature has not fully funded the foundation formula in the entirety of my 26 year teaching career here.
What school choice do rural farm schools have, with private schools miles away? Oh, that’s right. You all want to push online virtual schools. Got it! This will continue to rob our rural communities and schools of valuable resources. They are already strapped for funds. Kids will suffer. You will rob the rural schools to pay for your school voucher scam programs. What a bunch of BS.
Grifters gotta grift.
Cool. So Parents should get to decide. Got it. That goes for their children’s healthcare too, right? Including care for TransKids? I mean, if you think parents know best then you have to go all in.
Actually-this is so wrong. You will see a greater divide between rich communities and poor ones, richer states and poorer ones, ones that care about education and those that don’t. You will see states like Missouri-your own state- fall even further behind, because this State’s politicians don’t seem to care. Just keep dumbing down America, it is so much easier to fool an uneducated person. Plus, my taxes(whether federal or state) shouldn’t go to private schools. If a parent wants to put their kid in a private school so bad, then they can pay for it. You will force people to move a state just to get a decent education for their kids
Actually, education belongs to everyone. We all have a vested interest in educational outcomes.
speaking of using logic and not emotions: the DOE doesn’t set education standards. It only provides funding and protection for special needs students, and ensures rural schools can function. States have always set education standards, which is why your red states are ranked soo low.
Congressman Mark Alford I agree with most of your politics but I can’t get behind this. I live in a small rural town. This will destroy our school.
Interesting, this ox goring thing.
When’s the next townhall Mondays with Mark?
Heh.
Show up at a town hall and discuss it Mark…..
Dance, puppet
State and local governments already dictate curriculum and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of schools. And we still rank #32 in the country. So who is really to blame for our poor performing schools, considering Republicans have had a supermajority in our state for the last 25 years? Certainly not the Department of Education, whose primary responsibility is supplementing funding for schools in poorer rural and urban districts, funding special education, and ensuring that everyone has equal access and opportunity to get an education. Massachusetts on the other hand, who fully funds their schools and is run by a Democratic supermajority, is consistently ranked #1. Interesting.
No wonder people yell at you in Town halls. That’s a pretty stupid statement for someone who tells us he has all the answers
I know you won’t read this, but it needs to be said over and over until you and everyone else elected to office start listening. You really need to listen to your constituents. We DO NOT want the Dept of Education dismantled. What you are doing to our children is repulsive. Your goal is to lower the education levels of our country, so in a few years everyone that isn’t part of the 1% will be so uneducated you will be able to do whatever you want and they won’t know any better. Well I do know better and our children and our teachers are worth far more than what they are being given. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Classroom content has always been the states’ choice. Please don’t blame the Department of Education for the failure of the state to adequately educate students.
Quit banning books and get the parents to read to their youngest and encourage them to continue reading at an appropriate level so they are not left behind.
If your kids need more services you can pretty much forget about it since Trump and Musk just shut that all down. Now they only collect loan monies from overcharged barely legal students.
Please, you only work for the rich and you only care about giving THEM ANOTHER $5Trillion tax cut over the next 5 years.
Start representing working people and quit carrying water for the 1%!
Show us your plan Mark. How do you plan on serving the students with disabilities in your district and the rest of Mo? Vouchers are welfare for the rich, another effort to give tax cuts to the wealthy and divide us. SHOW US THE GOP PLAN! Oh, yeah, there isn’t one.
The local school districts and the state have always had control of curriculum. I’m sure you know that, Congressman. The department of Ed helped finance the services that schools need. Missouri is not standing up for education, and we already have one of the lowest teacher salaries, many school districts only have class four days a week, and our state reps are constantly trying to shrink the public education budget and fund vouchers for private school. None of this will help educate Missouri children.
Wisdom is still chasing you, and you continue to outrun it!
Just call him a dumbass. He’ll understand that.
It’s not a good thing Mark. Please explain what you mean and how is this move putting students first? Please please just actually answer one question.
Yet the federal government wants to tell Columbia University what it can do. So which is it? States or Federal? Can’t have it both ways.
Yeah. School choice=no schools for rural kids.
When will you meet with your constituents again?
Is Missouri going to provide the lost federal funding?
Hey Mark if your going to serve in Congress perhaps you should know how it works. Every state and city and school district does their own curriculum, teacher salaries, discipline, etc. So education is already at the state level. The DOE does funding for pell grants, student loans, and they send money to the states and school district to help with early education and disabled students and other things to help with the cost. So your statement is ignorant and uneducated. Instead of parroting what your ‘king’ tells you to say perhaps you should check.to see if it’s accurate. It’s bad enough you spelled St. Clair wrong the other day as you spelled it St. Claire. You sir, with all due respect, are looking like a fool. This is dumbed down a bit for you.
I went to a crap school that only a few teachers cared about me. Protections guarenteed by by the DoE changed how my children are treated. So screw you.
Dismantling the Dept of Education (defunding and deregulating public schools and federal protections, forcing parents to choose between homeschool or a private religious school outside they’re area that they cant afford and wont get accepted into) is a step towards choice, accountability and putting students first? Do you hear yourself? You sound fucking crazy.
I’m convinced the only reason he posts this garbage is to create more division. The goal is to try to get everyone up in arms and the Felon in charge declares Martial Law. Eric Schmitt is posting the same type of Trump loyalist bootlicking posts.
Do you have any idea how many schools are helped by Title 1 grants. How many disabled students are able to attend their local public school because of dept of education programs? You want to take that away. They do not control curriculum, state and local districts do that. Mark, please look into facts. Instead of repeating GOP propaganda and misinformation. You DO have a brain, USE IT!
Nope, wasted it.
The Dept of Education supplements state resources for the 7.5 million students in this country with disabilities.
Do all the Trump-voting parents of special needs kids understand what he’s doing to them?
Do they understand what he is doing to their kids?
Do they??
If you believe any of this, Mark, you are delusional.
