BOSTON (WHDH) – As President Donald Trump continues his push to eliminate the Department of Education, Massachusetts educators are raising concerns — saying the department provides funding for low-income students and students with disabilities.

But, Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the current system isn’t working.

“It has sown incredible anxiety and angst around what the future will look like,” said Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler.

White House officials said they are preparing an executive order to direct McMahon to begin the process of dismantling the department.

However, Trump cannot eliminate the Department of Education on his own. Doing so would require Congressional approval, so Trump is expected to target programs within the department, moving them to other agencies or ending them completely.

Tutwiler said districts are concerned about how this will impact the $2 billion the state receives from the department.

“Superintendents are concerned about how they’ll be able to provide reading intervention, how they’ll be able to provide related services for students with disabilities,” he said. “I will tell you definitively that we don’t have the funds to backfill $2 billion in funding that we get from federal government.”

The Massachusetts Teachers Association hopes the state will provide additional funding if the department is eliminated.

“If there are cuts coming down, the state has to be willing to respond to protect our public schools and colleges,” said Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

The state says money from the department helps pay teachers’ salaries in low-income communities and supports assistive technology, special education paraprofessionals, and also transportation.

It also operates the Pell Grant program, which helps low- and middle-income students afford college.

McMahon says a review of the Department of Education’s programs is long overdue.

“Since the Department of Education was established in 1980, we’ve spent over a trillion dollars to see our scores continue to go down,” she said.

But, some education leaders say that fails to capture the full picture.

“Our public schools have performed remarkably well given that they also do not have the funds and the staffing that they need, so the notion that somehow you’ve stopped funding special education services, you’ve stopped funding supports for low-income students, and that somehow is going to make schools even better is of course patently ridiculous,” Page said.

Closing the department also leaves the future of higher education loans in question. Trump acknowledged that the more than $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt is delaying his efforts to shutter the agency.

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It’s no secret that Massachusetts is home to some of the world’s most prestigious colleges, from Harvard University to Babson College.

People from all walks of life — even big-name celebrities — flock to the Bay State to learn from some of the best in academia.

From actors to politicians, many famous faces got their start as students at the various universities around the state.

Some celebrities are known for their Massachusetts ties, while others may surprise you. Here’s a list of 20 living celebrities who went to college in Massachusetts.

The 44th President of the United States attended Harvard Law School and earned his juris doctorate degree in 1991. While there, he was the editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Obama’s presidential predecessor also attended Harvard University. Bush earned a master of business administration degree in 1975.

The former first lady also attended Harvard Law School, though not at the same time as her future husband.

Before becoming the second person to walk on the moon, Aldrin earned a doctorate degree in astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963.

The six-time Emmy Award-winning actor graduated from Harvard University in 1967.

Poehler, a Burlington native, went to Boston College, where she earned a degree in media and communications.

More: Celebrities from MA: Can you name them all? These famous faces grew up in Massachusetts

The two-time Emmy Award winner grew up in Norwell and went to Emerson College.

The longtime actor went to Harvard, where he majored in English literature and graduated in 1969.

Winkler, an actor and director, graduated from Emerson College in 1978. He also later went to nearby Yale University for graduate school.

The Academy Award-winning actress went to Boston University.

The actress is another Harvard graduate on this list.

A former radio and television host, Williams is a graduate of Northeastern University.

Mayer, a singer and Connecticut native, is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music in Boston.

A famed activist, Davis graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham in 1965.

The former Olympic figure skater studied business at Emmanuel College.

The “Fast car” singer went to Tufts University in Medford.

An actor known for roles in “While You Were Sleeping” and “Independence Day,” Pullman earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Before playing in the NFL, Flutie was a quarterback at Boston College.

Andover native and comedian Leno went to Emerson College.

The Supreme Court justice graduated from the College of the Holy Cross.

Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network – New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com. 

Days are numbered for the iconic Plum Island landmark known as the Pink House.

The federal government’s demolition of the house in Newbury, Massachusetts, is imminent, so a group of supporters gathered there Sunday for a candlelight vigil to say their last goodbyes.

Even with Gov. Maura Healey on their side, it appears supporters can’t save the Pink House. The governor paused plans to tear it down in October, but U.S. Fish and Wildlife recently decided to move ahead with demolition anyway.

Talks of relocating the landmark from the Plum Island Turnpike didn’t work out. The government agency paid $375,000 for the 9-acre property in 2011. 

A local nonprofit has been fighting to save the century-old structure for almost a decade. Late last year, an anonymous donor even offered $1 million to save the house, but U.S. Fish and Wildlife turned that down.

And while environmental officials claim asbestos is to blame, elected officials say that was abated long ago.

Now the community is saying their last goodbyes to what they affectionately call the pink lady. 

“There’s constantly — save the house! — there’s constantly someone here no matter what time of day. People come at night do their night shots,” said Kelly Page, Support the Pink House board member.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? I mean, it makes us realize the mission we took on was really on behalf of all these people, and it shows us that it was worth it all,” added Rochelle Joseph, Support the Pink House board member.

NBC10 Boston has asked U.S. Fish and Wildlife on several occasions when demolition is set to begin, but they have not given an answer. It is expected to come down by the end of March.