The new administration has taken a hammer to the U.S. Department of Education, wreaking destruction that is sure to hurt the nation’s public schools and students.

On March 11, President Trump issued an executive order directing U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “facilitate” the agency’s closure. He doesn’t have the authority to shutter a federal agency established by an act of Congress, but such legalities don’t trouble him. Even before he issued his executive order, the agency had become a shadow of its former self, with half of the staff of 4,000 eliminated.

The U.S. DOE provides Title I grants to high-need schools and federal funds for teacher professional development, students with disabilities and other targeted areas of need. The department also enforces civil rights laws in public schools, manages college student aid, conducts education research, provides policy guidance to the states and tracks student performance nationwide.

Trump said these functions and responsibilities would be transferred to other federal agencies without disrupting services. It’s a facile promise that cannot be kept when he has gotten rid of most of the workers with the knowledge and expertise to administer these programs. School districts nationwide have already lost grants for teacher preparation programs, school buses, building projects and more. The New York State Education Department said it is having trouble accessing the $363 million left in its pandemic-era federal funding.

It is much easier to destroy than to build. Generations of educators, students and families will suffer the consequences of the president’s reckless decision.