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A announcement by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the U.S. Department of Education announced a massive reduction late Tuesday, planning to cut nearly half of its workforce, affecting all departments within federal agencies, some of which “requires significant restructuring.”
The cuts, and the previously accepted employee “acquisition”, will see the department’s employee numbers drop from 4,133, affecting more than 1,900 employees when President Donald Trump was formed to about 2,183 on January 20.
Tuesday’s move means more than 1,300 employees were fired. The department said the employees will take administrative leave starting March 21. The effective reduction also included nearly 600 employees receiving “voluntary resignation opportunities and retirement” over the past seven weeks.
McMahon said in a Tuesday announcement that the decision to cut its staff “reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability and ensures that resources are directed to where they matter most: for students, parents and teachers.”
She called it “a great step towards a great restoration of the American education system”, a move that led Trump to promise to integrate departmental attitudes. His ultimate and often stated goal is to shut it down completely.
According to the Education Reform Center, which advocates for schools’ choice, layoffs are expected to close several regional offices.
However, the department said it will continue to operate programs required by law, such as formula milk, student loans, Pell grants, funding for children with disabilities, and competitive grants.
McMahon’s layoffs ended the agency’s “bureaucratic inflation” after the announcement of the news on the first day of the office. The government had
McMahon’s initial cuts are expected to further cover up the department after Trump’s executive order. Although the order has not been fulfilled, Tuesday’s announcement pushed his agenda to remove the agency.
Some support this end goal.
“Reductions like this are a great start and should have been long overdue,” Lindsey Burke, director of the Center for Education Policy at Heritage Foundation, responded to a statement announced Tuesday in Jonathan Butcher, a senior fellow at Conservative Think Tank. “The Ministry of Education failed to achieve its goals,” they said.
Burke and Butcher’s emotions echoed the emotions of conservative leaders who pushed for phase-out in the sector and focused on budget.
Education policy experts and education leaders warn that while there is no Congressional approval, it is completely impossible to close the institution without Congress – which is considered impossible and that is impossible, but hollowing out can still have a significant impact, but education policy experts and education leaders have warned.
Among its numerous responsibilities, the department is responsible for investigating civil rights violations to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students, conducting research to guide schools and colleges to improve student outcomes, and managing transcripts in the U.S., which is critical to track student performance after COVID-19 schools are closed.
Education experts warn that as the workforce dwindles significantly, most of it may fall into “chaos”.
“It’s not reform. It’s disruptive.” Eliminating this critical infrastructure has weakened our country, eroded opportunities and made it harder for families to advocate for resources and support their children’s needs. ”
President of the U.S. Government Employees Federation Sheria Smith, who represents more than 2,800 workers at the Department of Education, said in a statement Tuesday that the organization plans to “fight these severe cuts.”
“We don’t stand by when this regime pulls the wool into the eyes of the American people,” Smith said.
Similar sentiments come from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second largest university in the United States. “Stripping the agent and thus not being able to operate effectively is the most timid way to remove it,” Weinadin said in a statement.
Weiinding urged Congress and the court to intervene, saying “the cold move will directly affect 90% of public school students.”