The U.S Department of Education on Tuesday announced it will lay off nearly half of its staff, a move that further President Donald Trump’s platform to disband the federal agency.
All divisions within the department will take a hit, “with some divisions requiring significant reorganization to better serve students, parents, educators, and taxpayers,” the department stated in a news release.
The news comes about a week after Trump officials drafted an executive order calling for the U.S. Department of Education to be shut down. It has yet to be officially released.
“Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
The layoffs take the department’s workforce from 4,133 to 2,183 workers, 600 of whom accepted voluntary resignation or retirement incentive opportunities over the last seven weeks, the department announced.
The remaining employees will be placed on administrative leave March 2. They will receive full pay and benefits until June 9, as well as “substantial severance pay or retirement benefits based upon their length of service.”
“I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department. This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system,” McMahon stated.
The department “will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking,” the news release stated.
The department’s Washington D.C. offices will be closed Wednesday and reopen Thursday for “security reasons,” according to an email obtained by Inside Higher Ed.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to abolish the Education Department. McMahon, during her confirmation hearing, pledged to downsize the department, but had stopped short of saying she would shut the department down, arguing that takes an act of Congress.
According to The Hill, the “battle now could now shift to how small the department can become before a court says it is interfering with mandated requirements from Congress.”
MORE: Trump drafts executive order to close down Education Department
IMAGE: EducationDepartment / Gil_C / Shutterstock
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