CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina professor is breaking down the limitations and potential scope of a president’s authority following a recent executive order. 

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an order instructing the education secretary to take steps aimed at closing the U.S. Department of Education. This comes just over a week after the administration laid off half of the agency’s workforce.

A political expert says there's still a long way to go before the Department of Education can be closed down. 

Michael Bitzer is a political scientist at Catawba College.

“I’m a teacher and that’s where my passion is, but I also consider this a teaching moment to help educate the public as well,” Bitzer said.

Bitzer says it’s too early to know how drastic reductions and changes within the Department of Education will impact school systems.  

"I think we’re going through a series of really uncharted territory when it comes to personnel issues and more likely the funding issues that accompany the Department of Education,” Bitzer said.

Bitzer said although an executive order carries weight, it’s not enough to shut down the education agency.

"It is not a law. It may provide guidance. It may say my administration is going to take this direction in this particular policy area, but it is not a formal law,” Bitzer said."It is not a law. It may provide guidance. It may say my administration is going to take this direction in this particular policy area, but it is not a formal law,” Bitzer said.

A 1979 law established the Department of Education. Bitzer said dismantling it would require actions by Congress.

“As far as we know, that is the only way the Department of Education could be disbanded, it would take an act of Congress with the president signing off to be able to say the Department of Education no longer exists,” Bitzer said.

The White House stated the order reduces the scale of the department but assures people that critical functions will remain.

“I think there’s a range of potential outlets that if the Department of Education is closed down or shuttered, that things could be transferred across the government,” Bitzer said. “For example, all the funding that flows through [the agency] I could envision being transferred over to the Department of Treasury that would then be able to continue the money flow to the states and local school districts. Pell Grants, federal aid to college students, those could also be transferred to the Department of Treasury or to another agency within the government.”

"I think what we need to do is let the process play through, see if Congress inserts itself and its authority, constitutional prerogative, to say no, we are going to continue to have a Department of Education. There is no power the president has in terms of this monumental of a policy decision being driven by the stroke of a pen. There will be challenges to it,” Bitzer said.