Education officials nationwide are differing in how they are getting their states ready for the incoming Trump administration.

Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises have sparked questions about what education will look like under his second presidency. Trump has repeatedly touted school choice efforts and promised to reduce federal funding to any schools teaching critical race theory.

He also previously vowed to abolish the Department of Education, asserting in his Agenda47 that all education power should be given to individual states.

Education officials in both Oklahoma and California have latched on to that proposal. California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in a Friday press conference called it a “clear threat” to students’ education and said his state will “not allow that to happen.”

“Let me be clear: This is not a partisan issue,” he said. “This is an issue of continuing to assure that students have access to the resources that they are entitled to under the law. And we will continue to do that, and we will work with the members of Congress to ask them to stand and support our students.”

Thurmond also raised concerns about how students who are discriminated against would be impacted by shutting down the Department of Education, which houses an Office for Civil Rights.

However, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters on Monday cheered Trump’s pledge to “eliminate the federal bureaucracy” which has shut parents “out of the decisions that impact their students’ educations.” He announced his state is forming an education advisory committee tasked with overseeing the enforcement of policy changes under the Trump administration.

Responsibilities of the committee will include creating state legislative recommendations based on Trump’s education goals and ensuring schools are equipped to implement any reforms, according to Walters.

“With the much-anticipated changes to come under President Trump, Oklahoma needs to be ready to smoothly adapt while upholding Oklahoma values in public schools and maintaining the highest standards of education for our students,” Walters said in a statement.

There are also questions about what changes Trump will attempt to make to Title IX. While the Biden administration in April rewrote the federal civil rights law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, Trump said while campaigning he would ensure biological men could not compete in women’s sports.

Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said Tuesday her state anticipates “a swift rescission” of the Biden administration’s changes.

“Rescinding these proposed rules will return better protections to women and due process to all,” Degenfelder said.

The Wyoming superintendent also said her state expects a shift to a White House that “favors domestic energy production,” claiming the Biden administration has “used every tool in its toolbox to prevent us from maximizing the use of our vast resources to the benefit of our public education system.”

For some states, the incoming Trump administration has prompted few questions. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said she expects residents of her state will find “significant alignment” between Idaho’s priorities and those of Trump.

“My priorities over the last two years have included emphasizing parental rights, taking a back-to-basics approach to public education and increasing opportunities for hands-on learning, internships, apprenticeships and project-based learning,” Critchfield said. “My state goals should be strengthened with federal and state coordination in these areas.”

While Trump has announced a number of his Cabinet picks this week, it is not yet clear when he will name an education secretary. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served in Trump’s first administration, has said she is open to returning to the White House.

Have a news tip? Contact Kristina Watrobski at kwatrobski@sbgtv.com or at x.com/kbwatrobski.