FILE PHOTO: An American flag and a tattered U.S. Department of Education flag fly outside the federal office building, amid reports that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will take steps to defund the federal Education Department, in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

President Andrew Johnson signed the first official Department of Education into law. Although it was not a cabinet level position, it aimed to collect educational data an

It’s a familiar slash-and-burn tale as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team sweeps through the Education Department, and there’s still one more shoe to drop: the formal executive order to dismantle the agency.

Closing the agency could cause confusion and headaches for states and schools in the short term, even if their federal funding streams remain intact.