School employees are expressing outrage at the mass layoffs of half the U.S. Department of Education workforce.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the move reflects the department’s commitment to efficiency and accountability.
Carl Williams, a vice president with the American Federation of Teachers, represents classified employees in Lawndale. He worries this will lead to cuts in special education funds — and, since the kids still need services, districts will have to find the money somewhere.
“If we’re not getting the funds that we usually would get from the Department of Education, that would leave districts to figure out the funding on their own, and in doing that, it likely will result in layoffs and a reduction of services for our neediest students,” he explained.
Williams added that any layoffs could have an outsized effect on classified employees — special education aides, bus drivers, secretaries, custodians and food service workers.
McMahon pledged the department would continue to deliver on “formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking.”
Williams said the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts could really hurt small towns, where the school district is often the largest employer.
“The Department of Education is a crucial part of educating America’s students, and we cannot do this work with less money,” he continued. “My mother would call this ‘cutting off our nose to spite our face.'”
The layoffs will also eliminate seven of the 12 regional offices responsible for investigating claims of civil rights violations.
