FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
July 14, 2026

Media Contact: 
Jason Amos
media@nsba.org

NSBA: House Legislation Would Rubber-Stamp Executive Overhaul at the Expense of Local Control

In advance of a July 15 House Education and Workforce Committee markup, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) released the following statement from Executive Director and CEO Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs opposing the legislative package of 10 bills that would begin to codify the Trump administration’s efforts to phase out the Education Department and move many of its duties to other federal agencies.

“Don’t let the title fool you,” said McCotter-Jacobs. “The 'Less Bureaucracy, Better Education' legislative package delivers the exact opposite of its name, adding layers of federal red tape while shortchanging nearly 50 million public school students. 

“Rather than reducing administrative burdens, this package would codify chaos by rubber-stamping the ongoing dismantling of federal education programs.

“Students and families deserve stability, continuity, and a federal framework that keeps education at the center of their success, not as part of a multi-agency maze of dead-ends and frustration for parents and school districts alike.

“While local school boards support efforts to streamline government, shifting core educational programs across disparate federal agencies does not eliminate bureaucracy—it fragments it. 

“Local school districts depend on a centralized Department of Education to efficiently administer critical resources, such as Title I funding for low-income schools, Title II funding for teacher professional development, and Title III funding to support English Language Learners. Forcing local leaders to navigate multiple unrelated federal bureaucracies just to access traditional funding will increase the administrative workload on local educators and pull resources out of the classroom.

“True educational efficiency is rooted in strong local control, not in chaotic structural overhauls that risk leaving our most vulnerable students behind. We urge Congress to reject this piecemeal approach to educational governance and instead work collaboratively with local school board leaders to strengthen, simplify, and fully fund the existing programs that support our nation's 50 million public school students."

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Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) purpose is to ensure each student everywhere has access to excellent and equitable public education governed by high-performing school board leaders and supported by the community. With members spread across the United States, the Virgin Islands, and Canada, NSBA is the only national organization representing school boards. Along with its member state associations and member public school districts representing locally elected school board officials serving millions of public school students, NSBA believes that public education is a civil right necessary to the dignity and freedom of the American people and that each child, regardless of their ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, identity, or citizenship, deserves equitable access to an education that maximizes their individual potential. For more information, visit nsba.org.