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Education

Mass Layoffs at Education Department Threaten Disruption to Education Services

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Education Department is experiencing a new round of layoffs, which could severely impact the nation's students and schools. The layoffs, totaling 466 staff members, would cut the agency's workforce by nearly a fifth, leaving the department reduced by more than half its size when President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The cuts are part of the Trump administration's broader plan to shut down the Education Department and parcel its operations to other agencies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The layoffs would cut the agency's workforce by nearly a fifth, leaving fewer than 2,000 employees, down from 4,100 when Trump took office.
  • The cuts will decimate several offices within the agency, including the Office of Special Education Programs, the Office for Civil Rights, and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
  • The layoffs will heavily deplete teams that oversee the flow of grant funding to schools, including Title I funding for low-income schools and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
  • The office that oversees TRIO programs, which help low-income students pursue college, will also be impacted.
  • The Education Department had about 4,100 employees when Trump took office, and after the new layoffs, it will be down to fewer than 2,000.
  • The cuts have been condemned by a range of education organizations, including the Afterschool Alliance and the American Federation of Government Employees.
  • The layoffs have been challenged in court by the American Federation of Government Employees and other national labor unions.

Statistics:

  • 466 staff members are being laid off in the latest round of cuts.
  • The layoffs would cut the agency's workforce by nearly a fifth.
  • The Education Department had about 4,100 employees when Trump took office.
  • After the new layoffs, it would be down to fewer than 2,000 employees.
  • 21 employees were hired back after the previous layoffs in March due to "cut too deep."
  • The Office for Civil Rights is being heavily depleted by the layoffs.
  • The layoffs will also impact the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Special Education Programs.
  • Title I funding for low-income schools and 21st Century Community Learning Centers will be heavily impacted.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press' article, "Education Department faces new round of layoffs amid shutdown", dated January 11, 2020, lists no specific date.
  • AFGE Local 252, a union that represents over 2,700 department workers
  • The Education Department's website, accessed January 11, 2020, lists no specific date
  • The Afterschool Alliance's website, accessed January 11, 2020, lists no specific date
  • The American Federation of Government Employees' website, accessed January 11, 2020, lists no specific date

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