The Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it would cut the workforce in half to streamline the sector and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.
More than 1,300 federal employees received emails on the 6pm ET, according to senior department officials. The cuts were $25,000 for those resigned by last Monday after 259 workers signed up for a postponed resignation program and 313 accepted voluntary separation incentive payments. More than 60 probation employees also ended in February.
“Today's power cuts reflect the Department of Education's efficiency, accountability and its commitment to ensuring that students, parents and teachers are directed to where they are most important,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We appreciate the work and contributions of our dedicated civil servants to the department. This is an important step in restoring the greatness of the American education system.”
Before the cuts, the Ministry of Education has a total of 4,133 staff. Many senior department officials said “it exists to oversee contractors, add strings, and often to make overlapping efforts across the department.” Senior department officials have made it clear that the cut will not affect student aid, the deployment of FAFSA by October 1, funding for special needs students, civil rights investigations and other functions statutory mandated by Congress.
Department officials said the agency is focusing on eliminating full teams with redundant or unnecessary operations for the overall function of the Department of Education. For example, the authorities said there are six separate strategic communications capabilities throughout the office, and six separate strategic communications capabilities that streamline the office managers of a small team of five.
McMahon will work to reduce leases for several office locations, including SAN F, as a result of reduced forceLancisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Cleveland added that the division will eventually move to one building, not the three, Washington, DC.
“It's going to be a big change for the sector, but I really believe it will be better for our education system and the country's long-term success,” the official said.
The Department of Education will close on Wednesday for safety reasons and will resume on Thursday as employees who have ended will be moved from home to work until March 21st. The fired employee has time to collect his belongings.
From March 21st, these employees will continue on paid administrative leave until the mandatory process is cut, officials said. These employees will require 90 days from Tuesday until officially fired, with a compulsory policy cut to pay a week of salary each year.
Secretary McMahon was confirmed last week and is tasked with taking over the Department of Education. Ultimately, President Trump said he wanted to see the Department of Education be abolished and more authority was sent back to states and communities, and he said he wanted McMahon to “get himself out of work.” The 45th and 47th Presidents are expected to sign an executive order soon to dismantle the division, but officially ending the division would take away the law of Congress, as it was Congress that created it under President Jimmy Carter 45 years ago.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on x @thekat_hamilton.
