By Elena Chin
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” — Stephen Hawking
The total estimated cost of running the Department of Education has exceeded $4 trillion in inflation-adjusted dollars since its inception, ranking sixth among federal agencies in total spending. Since it was established in1980, department spending has increased by approximately 371% while overall spending increased by approximately 193%. In the last decade alone, the department’s estimated cost was $1.96 trillion, primarily due to COVID-19 relief fund allocations for remote learning support and health and safety protocols. While these funds were intended to benefit students, the biggest beneficiaries were large tech companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Zoom, not the students.
