Demonstration urges awareness of potential cuts to federal public education
Dozens of people attended a demonstration at Diamond Park in Butler Saturday, March 15, where signs indicated protest against potential cuts to the U.S. Department of Education by the Trump Administration.
Debra and Art Geiger attended the demonstration Saturday to show their support for the continued funding of Social Security, and advocate to officials like U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, to fight for people in Butler County who are on Social Security.
“If I lose that, what am I going to do?” said Debra Geiger, of Butler.
Wilbur and Kathy Kennedy, of Butler, also attended the rally in support of Social Security.
“We’re worried about Social Security, we’re all on Social Security,” said Wilbur Kennedy, of Butler. “That’s our source of income, and they’re calling it entitlement. No. We earned that.”
The demonstration, like the one March 1 in front of VA Butler Healthcare, was organized by the Butler County Democratic Committee. Kathy Kline, a retired librarian of North Trails Public Library, said she helped organize the Saturday demonstration to raise awareness of how cuts to the Department of Education would affect people in Butler County via the funding that could be lost.
“I just feel that it nationwide it will not be an across the board-type learning,” Kline said. “We added signs to support our public schools. Education is the future of our country.”
Catherine Lalonde, chairwoman of the Butler County Democratic Committee, said she doesn’t think of these demonstrations strictly as protests against decisions the committee disagrees with. Rather, the demonstrations offer ways for people to take collective action to voice what they really want of government.
She said, for example, that instead of cutting the Department of Education entirely, it could be molded based on a new vision.
“If changes need to be made, we're always in favor of improving things and efficiency,” Lalonde said. “It seems like a different idea to cut the whole department of education.”
Kline and Debra Barger previously organized a demonstration March 1, which protested federal cuts to U.S. Veterans Affairs, which could affect VA Butler Healthcare. Lalonde commented that the 100-plus people at that demonstration showed that there is interest in making change, even in a year when no state or national elections are taking place.
“Usually in the odd years with no election it's quiet,” Lalonde said. “We've had a lot of people who want to come to our meetings and want to find out what we're doing.“
The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization’s staff -- a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency.
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Jessica Seibert waves the transgender flag as protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Bernie Banyai chants over a megaphone as protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Protestors lined both sides of Main Street between Diamond Park and the Butler County Courthouse waving signs and voicing their opinions on the current state of national events on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
The agency’s main role is financial. Annually, it distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency. The Education Department also plays an important regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.
According to the state Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, the federal government employs 3,300 people in Butler County. The federal government is the largest employer in Butler County as of 2024 according to Pennsylvania Department of Labor.
Kline said that although there may not be many, if any, federal Department of Education workers in Butler County, cuts to its funding would likely be a hit to the school districts in the county. Additionally, public libraries and higher education institutions receive money funneled through the Department of Education, and libraries use money to fund the public resources they house.
“The department of education is also funding for our libraries,” Kline said. “We get programming dollars, technology dollars that trickle from federal to state to local. There's so many things that can be affected by the department of education.”
Kline said she saw people come in not just to rent books and media, but to access the internet and even computer assistance from staff.
“I know firsthand how many people come into public libraries to file for Social Security because they don't have access to internet or need help,” Kline said. “If you're going to cut back on department of education and cut down phone lines, that's going to leave a big impact not just in Butler County.”
With cuts to federal education staff already taking place, Kline said she wants to build up awareness within the local community to give people a group to work with should they find an issue with policy decisions coming from Washington D.C. She said even though Butler County is small compared to Pennsylvania locales like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, speaking out here could help locals find a voice.
“I try to share with everyone you don't wait until it happens to protest,” Kline said. “It's very hard to reverse it once it's done. Now's the time to speak up when you can really make a difference.”
