COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — President Donald Trump may soon sign an executive order abolishing the Department of Education, prompting confusion surrounding the issue and its potential impacts. 

The Department of Education provides support and money for school districts nationwide, helping fund programs for low-income students and children with disabilities, among other programs. It also oversees student loan programs for higher education.  

The federal education department does not set curriculum or learning standards because that is up to the states.  

Scott DiMauro, the president of the Ohio Education Association, said more than 10 percent of an average school district’s budget is covered by federal sources.  

“Every single school across the state of Ohio benefits from federal support, whether it’s students with disabilities, students in poverty or students in general,” DiMauro said.  

The Department of Education helps fund Title I, which provides extra support at school to low-income students. It also administers funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. Local mother Lauren Shepler said her young son currently benefits from the IDEA program.

“He’s able to meet two days a week and he’s able to meet with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist,” Shepler said. “I’ve seen improvements in his walking ability, in his speaking ability.”  

She is worried funding cuts could set back her child and others across the nation. Shepler said she wants answers.

“I would just really like communication,” she said. “I’d like to know where they stand on the issue, what their rationale is for it. I would like to know, you know, what’s the plan?” 

Republican strategist Matt Dole said this is a complicated issue and it won’t be as simple as an executive order abolishing the education department. Dole said Republicans support Trump’s plan because a lot of money is going to the bureaucracy of the department rather than to American students.  

“I think the conservative argument is to do away with that bureaucracy, send the money back to the states or to school districts specifically and let more of that money flow into the classroom rather than into the government bureaucracy,” Dole said.  

The Department of Education was established by Congress so it would take an act of Congress to fully eliminate it. If Trump does sign an executive order, it’s unclear if the idea would get congressional approval.