WHEREAS, on March 3rd, 2025, Linda McMahon was sworn in as the Secretary of Education and stated in her inaugural speech that her job was to accomplish “a momentous final mission” of eliminating “bureaucratic bloat…quickly and responsibly.” In short, her priority as Secretary is to shut down the Department of Education.

WHEREAS, on February 13th, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services and already his initial work has supported an Executive Order “to make America Healthy again,” which includes freezing funding for educational programs like Head Start.

WHEREAS, “the mission of the Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages.” 

WHEREAS, the Department of Education also houses many departments including the Federal Student Aid Program, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Civil Rights, the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, the Office of English Language Acquisition, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

WHEREAS, the Department of Education supports over 6.7 million students across 10,000 TK-12 schools in California and provides $2.2 billion to assist over 4 million students in low-income communities; $1.6 billion for 805,000 students who receive speech services, reading support or other academic assistance, and accessibility for students with disabilities; $147 million for before- and after-school programs to support working parents; and $158 million in support for students learning English as a secondary language and more.

WHEREAS, the Department of Education helps to develop California’s workforce by providing $260 million for career and technical education programs, $353 million for career counseling and access, $4.4 million for rural community worker training, and $620 million to support workers at risk, and other services.

WHEREAS, the Department of Education invests in college and career readiness in California with $151 billion in federal student loan assistance supporting over 4 million Californians, $4.4 billion in Pell grants, $136 million to support students enrolled in California’s 175 minority-serving institutions, as well as other services, thus putting at risk over $155 billion for post-secondary Education.

WHEREAS, the closing of the Department of Education puts at risk a total of over $160 billion to be utilized by millions of California students from early childhood education through higher education.

WHEREAS, the actions and executive orders since the inauguration on January 20, that have preceded the appointments of McMahon, Kennedy, and other Secretaries of governmental departments, include eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from all institutions, attacking LGBTQ+ communities and individuals, attacking and threatening immigrant students and communities, erasing the real history of this country, and other intimidating actions.

WHEREAS, with all the preceding executive orders, statements, and actions combined with the new Secretary of Education’s Final Mission statement and the announcement of cutting the department’s employees in half, it is apparent that closing the Department of Education is not only about cutting taxes for corporations and wealthy individuals but is also an attempt to overturn Supreme Court decisions like Plyer v Doe and Brown v Board of Education, thus undermining our public education system that serves every child who enters our school doors.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the CFT will call on all members to join in collective and direct action to continue building our union power to fight back and to fight forward.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the CFT will continue to provide guidance and training to members so that they have a clear counter-narrative to defend and protect our public education for all students, our communities, and our members.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the CFT will reemphasize our priorities to support and elect pro-labor and pro-public education individuals to our school boards, college boards, legislature, and Congress.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the CFT will not be intimidated by the threats of the current administration and will continue to uphold its values that all students deserve a high-quality public education and that they have a safe and welcoming school in which to grow and learn.

THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the CFT will fight back against the chaos that the Trump administration is creating, and the CFT will fight forward by building a movement with the members, students, other workers, and our communities to reclaim our country and build a better future for all.

Passed by the CFT  Convention on March 15, 2025