A new wave of layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education is affecting offices responsible for special education and civil rights enforcement, raising concerns about disruptions to students and schools nationwide.
On Friday, the Trump administration began laying off 466 department employees as part of a broader effort to pressure Democratic lawmakers during the ongoing federal shutdown. The cuts represent nearly 20 percent of the agency’s workforce and will leave it with less than half the staff it had when President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.
These layoffs are part of a larger plan by the administration to dismantle the Education Department and transfer its functions to other agencies. Over recent months, adult education and workforce programs have been moved to the Department of Labor, while negotiations continue over shifting management of the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department.
Department officials have not provided details on which positions are being eliminated and did not respond immediately to requests for comment. AFGE Local 252, representing more than 2,700 department workers, reported that many internal offices would be significantly reduced or eliminated.
According to union sources, almost all staff members at the office administering the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are being dismissed except for a small group of top officials. The Office for Civil Rights is also losing an unspecified number of employees; this office investigates discrimination complaints in schools and universities.
The layoffs impact teams overseeing grant funding distribution nationwide. This includes staff managing Title I funds for low-income schools and those running 21st Century Community Learning Centers—the main federal support for after-school and summer learning programs.
Sasha Pudelski, director of advocacy at AASA (the school superintendents’ association), said that without personnel in Title I and IDEA offices, districts could face delays receiving reimbursements under these programs—delays that could affect teacher salaries in high-poverty areas. “We’re talking about the people who worked on the beating heart of our federal public school programs,” Pudelski said.
Staff reductions will also hit teams managing TRIO programs—which help low-income students pursue higher education—and those overseeing funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Union president Rachel Gittleman stated: “The new reductions, on top of previous layoffs, will ‘double down on the harm to K-12 students, students with disabilities, first generation college students, low-income students, teachers and local education boards.’”
When Trump took office, there were about 4,100 employees at the department; after these layoffs fewer than 2,000 will remain. Earlier job cuts in March halved staffing levels before some rehiring occurred due to operational needs.
Education advocates have criticized these actions. Jodi Grant from Afterschool Alliance noted that although states run their own competitions for distributing federal after-school program funds, guidance from federal officials was essential: “Firing that team is shocking, devastating, utterly without any basis, and it threatens to cause lasting harm,” Grant said.
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education argued that such cuts would prevent fulfillment of special education law obligations. Katy Neas—CEO at The Arc—said reducing her former office from around 200 workers down to five would make oversight impossible. She cited a past case where federal intervention led Texas lawmakers in 2017 to lift illegal caps on special education services: “As a result tens of thousands of children in Texas now can access the education support that they need whereas before they couldn’t,” Neas said.
National labor unions including AFGE are challenging these layoffs in court. Their lawsuit claims government budget offices exceeded their authority by ordering mass dismissals tied to shutdown pressures. In response filings made by Trump administration lawyers state executive branch leaders have broad discretion over workforce reductions; they argue unions cannot prove harm since separations take effect only after notice periods end.
Associated Press writer Annie Ma contributed reporting.
