US Department of Education will be cut in half
With a commitment to close the U.S. Department of Education and “return power to states and communities,” the Trump Administration this week announced its first steps in that evolution, by immediately terminating nearly 50 percent of the Education Department workforce, including shuttering several regional offices.
The “reduction-in-force” is guided by standard civil service practices, according to senior Department officials. Every terminated employee will continue to be paid for 90 days and receive a generous severance of one week for every year in service thereafter.
“It’s an important and necessary move,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “Billions of dollars spent on poorly conceived programs has caused state and local education agencies to mushroom, putting record numbers of administrators and non-instructional staff to work managing the thousands of rules and restrictions on American education, even as student enrollment has declined. It’s pure insanity and it makes life worse for teachers, and counterproductive for students.”
The federal education bureaucracy currently has over 4,100 employees, and this announcement will affect over 1,300 employees. With the prior cuts made, the number of employees of this federal agency will be cut in half.
“It’s become a cash cow for every university, nonprofit and research institution that has time and money to apply for grants and contracts; many of which do nothing to support students and do everything to counter great education for all students. Ending incessant federal interference will free up state and local leaders to foster more opportunities to give schools and educators true flexibility and innovation to address the needs of students, wherever they are educated,” added Allen.
This move also paves the way for ensuring that remaining federal program dollars not restricted by statute are directed to follow students where they are educated, regardless of the type of school.
Advocates for closing the U.S. Department of Education are numerous and represent every corner of the nation and education sector. As Rev. Josh Robertson, founder of Black Pastors United for Education which runs micro-schools for inner city youth, has argued, “Education is in a state of emergency, and right now, we must be bold, and liberate education by putting parents before politics and empower parents to choose the educational options that best suit their children.”
About CER: Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform (CER) aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that the conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom, and flexibility throughout U.S. education.
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