The most recent attempt is six interagency agreements created to “continue the process, to break up federal education bureaucracy, efficient delivery of funded programs, and return education to the states.”

The interagency agreements move management of specific programs out of the Department of Education to other federal agencies:

• The Department of Labor (DOL) will manage the Office of Elementary & Secondary Education programs, which include the Office of Well-Rounded Education, responsible for administering the Assistance for Arts Education grants, and Titles I, II, and IV. DOL will also manage the Office of Postsecondary Education programs, not including student grants and loans.

• The Department of the Interior will now manage Indian Education programs, including elementary and secondary education, higher education, and career and technical education. The interagency agreement also makes the Department of the Interior the key point of contact for Tribes and Native students.

• The Department of State will manage the International Education and Foreign Language programs.

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will manage the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program for on-campus child care support for parents enrolled in college.

While the agreements are being challenged in court, the actions themselves are harmful to our K-12 public schools and the nearly 50 million students that attend them. Transferring these programs across multiple agencies increases bureaucracy and confusion. This will result in the loss of technical expertise in administering grants as well as communicating with schools that need assistance.

Please let Congress know you oppose the Administration’s actions and that you support robust funding for the Department of Education’s well-rounded programs to support a quality arts education for all students.