Reno Gazette Journal: Sparks principal invited to Trump speech by Cortez Masto to highlight education cuts

SOURCE

Mark Robison

Reno Gazette Journal

At President Donald Trump's address to Congress Tuesday, Sparks school Principal Jason Shipman will be a guest of Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.

He's the perfect person to highlight the importance of the U.S. Department of Education as a partner with the state and Nevada schools, she told the Reno Gazette Journal.

Shipman’s school — Florence Drake Elementary — is a “Title I” school where a high percentage of students live in poverty. Schools with that designation receive extra federal funding with the intent of providing similar educational opportunities to those at schools in wealthier areas.

Cortez Masto visited Florence Drake on Friday.

“This is an incredible school,” said the senator, a Democrat who attended Nevada public schools from kindergarten through the University of Nevada, Reno.

“When I walked through it, the students were so amazing to watch — they were excited to be there. The commitment and the compassion that the teachers and the staff had for their students to achieve was great to see. You want every school to be like that across the country.”

She said Florence Drake leads the state in proficiency scores.

“It’s important for Nevadans to understand the benefits of this collaboration between the feds and the state when it comes to education,” Cortez Masto said.

“And I think it's important people understand the ramifications if Donald Trump goes down this path of eliminating Department of Education.”

President Trump’s plans to abolish

Department of Education

President Trump has long promised to abolish the Department of Education.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who was confirmed Monday by the U.S. Senate along party lines, said during her confirmation hearing that she “wholeheartedly” agrees with Trump’s mission to eliminate the department.

On Friday, Department of Education employees received a message that they could receive up to $25,000 if they retired or quit by the end of day Monday.

Trump cannot abolish the Department of Education by himself. Congress created it, and only Congress can get rid of it.

But the Trump administration could undermine the department by moving some of its functions to other departments or limiting what actions it can take to only those specifically spelled out in law. It has said this is necessary to get rid of "radical indoctrination" that is creeped into schools and that states and parents are better suited to handling education.

Cortez Masto on why the US Department of Education

is needed

Supporters of Trump’s plan to abolish the department often point out that student performance has not improved since it was created in 1979.

Asked about this, Cortez Masto said it was important not to confuse the federal role with states' obligations.

States are responsible for curriculum, she said.

“At a federal level, Donald Trump — I suspect he doesn't understand what the Department of Education does — is at risk of jeopardizing the funding that goes to over 200 Title I schools in Nevada that serve 35% of our students,” Cortez Masto said.

“That funding helps support our teachers and ensures our children have access to those programs that are critical for their learning, for supplies and a free school lunch. It would stall special education programs that help thousands of Nevada students each year, it would threaten Pell grants that Nevada students use to go to college and pursue good paying jobs.”

Sparks principal on how federal funding helps his school

Title I funding is the federal government’s promise to help reduce barriers so all students have the right to access a free and appropriate education, Principal Shipman said in a statement.

His school has become a standout among Title I schools in Nevada. Florence Drake received the 2024 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished Schools award and, in 2022, was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.

“I can relate to the struggles of our students, as my own family lived in poverty when I was in elementary school,” he said.

“I encountered barriers to my education, as Title I funding had not been established yet, and I saw how those barriers adversely affected many of my friends whose educations and lives were negatively impacted by their lack of access to education.”

When will President Trump address Congress?

Trump is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 4.

His speech will be similar to a State of the Union address, which typically happen annually and start after a president has been in office for at least a year.

Most national news outlets plan to carry the address live.

Who is Sen. Jacky Rosen inviting to Trump’s address?

Jacky Rosen, Nevada’s other Democratic senator, has invited a Las Vegas teenager who relies on Medicaid for health care coverage to Trump’s address.

Dominic Ramp has nine genetic disorders that include immune issues, a blood clotting disorder and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

“Having a child with multiple rare diseases is very difficult,” said Rebecca Ennis, Dominic’s mom, in a statement. “The cost is more than most people could afford, so losing Medicaid would cause my son to lose the treatments that keep him alive.”

The potential for Medicaid cuts stem from a Republican budget blueprint that seeks nearly $1 trillion in cuts from a congressional committee that oversees Medicaid.

Numerous Republicans, including Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, have warned the Trump administration against Medicaid cuts.

“Congressional Republicans’ efforts to make cuts to Medicaid to pay for more tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy would be a disaster for Nevadans like Rebecca and Dominic,” Rosen said.