Local lawmakers, teachers and parents are speaking out against President Donald Trump’s attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.They gathered Monday outside Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach to express their concerns.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News“Public schools are the backbone of our community because it gives an equal access to all our children for the opportunities they need to be successful later in their life,” Democratic Congresswoman Lois Frankel said.Frankel and other advocates for public education across Palm Beach County are worried that backbone could fracture after Trump’s executive order.“Gutting the Department of Education is going to cause an overflow in the classrooms. In other words, force teacher layoffs. It's going to increase class sizes, reduce support for students with disabilities. Also, put college out of reach for many of our graduating seniors,” Frankel said.The president says the department, which was created in 1979, hasn’t improved student outcomes and is unnecessary for student success.But advocates said the funding it provides to public schools, especially Title 1 schools with low-income students, is crucial.“I'm very concerned that if we don't tread lightly in any modifications to the Department of Education, we will see substantial encumbrances created for the lives of these children that were not there before. And those can have very long, reverberating effects moving into the future,” Edward Ferguson, a Palm Beach County School Board member, said.The DOE’s funding also helps students with disabilities.Around the country: National coverage from WPBF 25 News“My daughter is 5 years old and she goes to a Palm Beach County public school. She has an IEP. She was diagnosed with ADHD and separation anxiety. And the school was able to give her mental health care as well as speech therapy and behavior therapy. Without the funding, they won't be able to give for those therapies anymore,” parent Vicki Ward said.We also spoke to Republican state Rep. Toby Overdorf, who says he understands some of the concerns but believes overall, dismantling the U.S. Department of Education will make state departments of education nationwide stronger.“The Department of Education does not need to be as bloated and as large as it currently is. And I think the states can do and should do a good job of that. Again, Florida has gone from, you know, the bottom of the barrel to really making a concerted effort. And now we are leading the nation in so many different categories across our country. So, I think we can be a model for how it can be done,” Overdorf said.WPBF 25 News reached out to the School District of Palm Beach County for comment, and it sent a statement saying, “We are closely monitoring the changes in federal policy relating to education. Federal funding plays a vital role in supporting our students, teachers, and schools across Palm Beach County, and the School District of Palm Beach County remains steadfast in its mission to educate, affirm, and inspire every student we serve. We will continue to assess budget and policy developments and, as needed, collaborate with the School Board to take appropriate action to ensure the best possible support for our students, families, and staff.”Despite Trump’s executive order, only Congress has the power to put an end to the U.S. Department of Education.Republicans are planning legislation to do so but face heavy opposition from Democrats.Top headlines:Man drives car into Tesla dealership protestersStay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.