The Department of Education is beginning the process of reducing its workforce, announcing on Tuesday that it is cutting roughly half of the agency’s staff.
At 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, 1,315 employees were notified that they would be terminated in what senior Education Department officials are calling a “streamlining process.” The move brings the Trump administration closer to the president’s call to abolish the department.
The Education Department has seen an exodus of employees over the last two months: 259 employees signed up for the deferred resignation program, 313 took the $25,000 buyout and 63 probationary employees were terminated earlier in the year, according to a department official.
“It’s going to be a big change for the department, but it is one that we truly believe is going to better for the long-term success of the education system and our country. What we’re doing is not working. It’s just not. It’s time for change, and that’s what’s starting tonight,” the official said.
Employees affected by the reduction in force will be given 90 days full pay and benefits, in addition to severance pay determined by their years of service, according to the official — who described the offer as “extremely generous, especially compared to the private sector.”
On Tuesday, Education Department employees who work in the D.C. offices were sent an email instructing them to clear the building by 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and that they would not be allowed to return until Thursday morning. This, officials said, is to protect the remaining 2,183 employees.
Terminated employees will roll over their responsibilities on March 21, then will be on paid administrative leave.
Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, which represents 2,800 Education Department employees, said the union will fight these cuts.
“What is clear from the past weeks of mass firings, chaos, and unchecked unprofessionalism is that this regime has no respect for the thousands of workers who have dedicated their careers to serve their fellow Americans,” she said. “It is also clear that there is a rampant disinformation campaign to mislead Americans about the actual services, resources, grants, and programs that the U.S. Department of Education provides to all Americans.”
The Office of Management and Budget directed agency heads to submit plans for reductions in force by March 13. Immediately after her confirmation in the Senate, Educational Secretary Linda McMahon wrote to agency staff that her goal was to ultimately send education “back to the states,” hinting at large-scale changes.
“This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students. I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete, we will all be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future,” McMahon wrote.
During her Senate confirmation, McMahon promised a careful audit of the department’s programs and staffing in consultation with Congress. She was confirmed last week.
Rep. Tim Walberg, chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, didn’t answer if he was notified about the RIF, but instead said the committee is focused on students.
Rep. Burgess Owens, another Republican on Education and Workforce, said before the announcement that he wouldn’t be surprised by cuts at the agency.
“We’re looking at bloat. We need to trim like any other business would trim,” Owens said. “One thing we’ve found out with DOGE is how much waste we’ve had at the Department of Education.”
Senior education department officials also said they’d be terminating leases in multiple cities across the U.S., and consolidating the agency’s Washington D.C. operation into one building instead of three, in consultation with the General Services Administration.
The officials were adamant that the cuts wouldn’t impact the Department’s ability to carry out its key functions like, disbursing student aid, administering the free application for federal student aid, and funding to states for programs like the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act.
Democrats were quick to condemn the administration’s move.
“I am adamantly opposed to this reckless action. I am also disappointed, although not surprised, that Secretary McMahon’s first order of business after her confirmation is capitulating to the President’s dangerous, and illegal demands,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, who is the ranking member on the House Education and Labor Committee, told NOTUS in a statement.
The Department of Government Efficiency has already slashed millions of dollars in contracts at the Department of Education, particularly within the agency’s research arm.
Last week, the White House refuted reports that Trump intended to sign an executive order to get rid of the Department of Education. The president later clarified that, while he did intend to sign an order to that effect, there were details that still needed to be worked out.
There is ongoing litigation with respect to Trump’s education-related executive orders and policy decisions.
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Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.