Chandler school leadership monitoring actions on Trump 'indoctrination' order
Courtesy of Head Start
Khari M. Garvin, the national director of the Office of Head Start, smiles with a child during an August 2024 visit to see a program in Philadelphia. Many federal programs are in jeopardy as the Trump administration and Congress look to dismantle and/or heavily restrict many programs in place.
U.S. public school districts have been monitoring Trump administration and Congress’s actions over the past few weeks as possible major cuts or eliminations of programs or whole departments could deeply impact what districts can offer.
The good news for the Chandler Unified School District is that fiscally, nothing in President Trump’s Jan. 29 “indoctrination” executive order about education cuts and accountability appears to affect 2024-25 federally funded programs, so this year’s budget and services will likely not be impacted.
Stephanie Ingersoll, spokesperson for CUSD, said the $47.43 million in federal programs, from the district’s last revised budget in December, is unchanged. That funding includes $21.4 million for entitlements and federal projects and $26 million for food services.
That doesn’t mean the 2025-26 budget and beyond won’t be impacted.
“We do not believe this (executive order) will impact our federal or state funding for this fiscal year,” Ingersoll said. "As we always do, we will be closely monitoring all funding cycles.”
The order specifically includes following rules based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology, as well as what Trump calls “patriotic education” designed to, according to Section 1 of the order, “instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible nation and the values for which we stand.”
Chandler’s teachers union, on the other hand, takes major exceptions to nearly all of Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order — and that was before both a Trump EO and a congressman’s re-introduction of a bill this week that would eliminate the Department of Education.
Dozens of U.S. Department of Education officials were immediately put on paid administrative leave Friday night, according to their union, due to the Jan. 29 executive order. Among other things, the order bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.
Laurel Miller, the president of the Chandler Education Association, said the order runs counter to the union’s themes.
“CEA’s message has remained the same over the past several years. Educators are committed to supporting students by recognizing their unique backgrounds, histories and cultures,” Miller wrote in an email to the Chandler Independent. “The words used in that executive order are dog-whistles to a base whose agenda is to destroy public education.”
Miller wrote that all of the EO is concerning.
“It feels like it erases accurate history and is indoctrinating our students to be patriotic, obedient citizens who don’t question anything,” she wrote. “It’s eliminating what makes public schools great — the diversity that students bring.”
Miller wrote that while the EO seems very open to interpretation, like many union heads in states with Democratic Party attorneys general, it’s wait-and-see for now, regarding the fiscal implications.
“We have a very supportive (Arizona) attorney general (Kris Mayes) who supports public education, so I could see her fighting this for and with us,” Miller wrote.
Miller wrote that the CEA communicates regularly with leaders from its state organization Arizona Education Association, and its national organization, the National Education Association.
“Both AEA and NEA are very supportive of our local union’s actions,” Miller wrote.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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