WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s return to the presidency could set the stage for sweeping changes in U.S. education policy.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has vowed to “save American education,” with a focus on parental rights and universal school choice — offering a sharp contrast to the Biden administration’s education record.

With Trump’s White House victory cemented, here’s a look at where he stands on education:

Getting rid of U.S. Education Department

Perhaps Trump’s most far-reaching plan for education includes his vow to close down the U.S. Department of Education.

The department — just 45 years old — is not in charge of setting school curriculum, as education is decentralized in the United States. The agency’s mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”

Trump has repeatedly called for moving education “back to the states,” though the responsibility of education already mainly falls on states and local governments, which allocate much of the funding for K-12 schools.

Funding boosts

Trump has proposed funding boosts for states and school districts that comply with his vision for education, including adopting a “Parental Bill of Rights that includes complete curriculum transparency, and a form of universal school choice,” according to his plan.

He also wants to give funding preferences to schools who get rid of “teacher tenure” for grades K-12 and adopt “merit pay.”

He could also ramp up funding for schools that have parents hold the direct elections of principals as well as for schools that significantly reduce the number of their administrators.

Trump’s plan also includes the creation of a credentialing body to certify teachers “who embrace patriotic values, and understand that their job is not to indoctrinate children, but to educate them.”

He is also threatening to cut federal funding for schools that teach “critical race theory” or “gender ideology” and vowed to roll back updated Title IX regulations under the Biden administration on his first day back in office.

The updated regulations, which the Biden administration released earlier this year, extend federal protections for LGBTQ+ students.

The final rule rolls back changes to Title IX made under Trump’s previous administration and then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

A slew of GOP-led states have challenged the measure, leading to several legal battles and a policy patchwork throughout the country.

Student debt and higher education

Trump has criticized the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness efforts,  describing them as “not even legal,” and could let go of any mass student loan forgiveness efforts.

Trump could repeal the administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan, which is currently on hold while tied up in a legal challenge. The sweeping initiative seeks to provide lower monthly loan payments for borrowers and lessen the time it takes to pay off their debt.

Meanwhile, the 2024 GOP platform called for making colleges and universities “sane and affordable,” noting that Republicans will “fire Radical Left accreditors, drive down Tuition costs, restore Due Process protections, and pursue Civil Rights cases against Schools that discriminate.”

The platform also calls for reducing the cost of higher education through the creation of “additional, drastically more affordable alternatives to a traditional four-year College degree.”

Trump has also proposed the “American Academy,” a free, online university that he says would be endowed through the “billions and billions of dollars that we will collect by taxing, fining, and suing excessively large private university endowments.”

Project 2025

Apart from the GOP platform and Trump’s proposals, the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 proposes a sweeping conservative agenda that, if implemented, could have major implications for the future of education.

Though Trump has disavowed the conservative think tank’s blueprint, some former members of his previous administration helped craft the agenda.

Some of the education policy proposals outlined in the extensive document include eliminating the U.S. Education Department and Head Start, ending time-based and occupation-based student loan forgiveness and restoring the Title IX regulations made under DeVos.

The proposal also states that “the federal government should confine its involvement in education policy to that of a statistics-gathering agency that disseminates information to the states.”

Major teachers unions react to Trump win

“The voters have spoken. While we hoped and fought for a different outcome, we respect both their will and the peaceful transfer of power,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers unions in the country, said in a Wednesday statement.

“At this moment, the country is more divided than ever, and our democracy is in jeopardy. Last night, we saw fear and anger win,” Weingarten said.

Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the country’s largest labor union, said in a statement Wednesday that “this is not the outcome we campaigned for, nor the future we wanted for our students and families, but it is the road through history we now must travel.” 

Last updated 3:38 p.m., Nov. 6, 2024

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Put simply, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a hormonal imbalance that affects a woman’s menstrual cycle and can cause ovarian cysts. Even though about one in every 10 women have this condition globally, it can be difficult to get diagnosed or receive treatment.

For Ariana Knudsen, trips to the coffee shop weren’t always so simple. Since she was 14 years old, her menstrual cycles have been irregular. Doctors told her everything was normal.

“At 14, I’m on birth control— that’s insane to me, especially now that I’m 28, and thinking back on it, I was on birth control for almost 10 years,” Knudsen said.

She said she’s tried almost all forms of birth control. At first, the new medication would help regulate her cycle, but eventually, she’d go back to having super short cycles or double periods.

She was on birth control for six years before getting an ultrasound.

Years later, while removing Knudsen’s gallbladder, surgeons discovered a massive cyst on her right ovary.

Eventually, they recommended surgery to remove the cyst. However, during her senior year of high school, things took an even deeper nose-dive. Two hours before her scheduled operation, Knudsen went to the emergency room for severe pain.

“They were going to go in and try to just remove the cyst and save the ovary if possible, but it had started from the inside out, so it had completely killed off my right ovary. So, there was no saving it,” Knudsen said.

She was 17 years old. At 28, she still feels the impacts of her condition. She’s had over 12 iron infusions— all her irregular cycles have made her anemic. Doctors even thought she might have a brain tumor because of her elevated prolactin levels. An MRI showed that wasn’t the case. Knudsen started seeing Dr. Tara Harding at Simply You Wellness, who specializes in women’s health.

“The lack of diagnosing of it, or perhaps patients were told, ‘It looks like PCOS,’ or ‘it might be PCOS,’ and they’re getting very inconsistent information,” Knudsen said.

Knudsen said other women going through similar experiences shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for themselves and to trust their instincts.

“You’re worth more than just giving up on yourself, because I was at that point, to be honest. […] Trust your body. You know yourself better than anyone else,” Knudsen said.

She said she knew when she was 17 that it would be difficult to start a family after her surgery. After getting help for her PCOS, though, she and her husband are expecting their first bundle of joy.

Dr. Harding said that along with irregular or inconsistent periods, acne, unexplained weight changes and more can all be symptoms of PCOS.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.

North Dakota voters rejected a measure to overhaul property taxes Tuesday, but property tax relief is expected to be a major focus of the upcoming legislative session.

Gov.-elect Kelly Armstrong, who was among those to oppose Measure 4, said he plans to make property tax reform a top priority. He will resign from North Dakota’s sole U.S. House seat at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 14 and take office as governor on Dec. 15, succeeding Gov. Doug Burgum.

Republican Julie Fedorchak will take Armstrong’s seat in Congress in January, creating a vacancy on the North Dakota Public Service Commission that the governor will fill. She will be the first woman to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House.

Republican Kevin Cramer was reelected to the U.S. Senate, where his party will be in the majority.

Here’s what else you need to know about North Dakota’s election results:

Measures: Voters defeated a measure to legalize recreational marijuana for the third time in six years.

Voters also rejected a measure to reform the initiated measure process. Measures to change the Legislature’s spending limit of the Legacy Fund principal and replace outdated language in the state constitution were approved.

Legislature: North Dakota Republicans will keep a supermajority in the state Legislature. Native Americans gained representation in the Legislature as a result of races that were on the ballot due to redistricting.

Transportation a barrier to voter access at Standing Rock

Statewide candidates: Republican statewide candidates easily won reelection. Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler, Public Service Commissioner Randy Christmann and State Auditor Josh Gallion all defeated challengers. State Treasurer Thomas Beadle and Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread were reelected in uncontested races.

President: North Dakota voters overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump for president.

Turnout: The state had strong early voter turnout, but overall turnout was about average for a presidential election year.

Recounts: Two legislative races might qualify for demand recounts, depending on official results. Other local races facing possible recounts can be found through the Secretary of State’s website.

Next steps: Election results will remain unofficial until county canvassing boards meet Nov. 18, and results are certified by the State Canvassing Board on Nov. 20.