WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday that seeks to dismantle the Department of Education and leave school policy in the hands of states, making good on a campaign promise that has energized conservatives and worried education advocates.

The order follows the department's announcement last week that it would lay off nearly half of its staff and is the latest step by Trump, who has been in office some two months, to reshape the US government and upend the federal bureaucracy.

Trump is signing the order at a White House event at 4:00 pm ET (2000 GMT) with students, teachers, parents and state governors who support the effort, a sign of its resonance with Republican voters and Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.

Education has long been a political lighting rod in the United States, with conservatives favoring school choice policies that help private schools and left-leaning voters largely supporting programs and funding for public schools.

Congress would have to pass legislation to shutter the department, and Trump does not have the votes to do that.

Though Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Democratic support would be required to achieve the needed 60 votes in the Senate for such a bill to pass.

Fights about US education accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump tapped into that divide as a presidential candidate, and the order signing on Thursday, with the fanfare of an event in the White House East Room, is designed to showcase his delivery of a campaign promise even if it is not fully met.

The Education Department oversees some 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools in the United States, although more than 85 percent of public school funding comes from state and local governments. It provides federal grants for needy schools and programs, including money to pay teachers of children with special needs, fund arts programs and replace outdated infrastructure.

It also oversees the $1.6 trillion in student loans held by tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford to pay for university outright.

Reuters