When Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in May that enhancing literacy through proven methods would be a top priority, the small team within the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) saw an opportunity. They aimed to align their efforts with this shared goal: helping all students achieve literacy by the end of third grade.
However, this ambition quickly met a harsh reality. By March, nearly half of the Education Department’s staff had been eliminated through layoffs and voluntary buyouts. While OSEP initially avoided the worst, ongoing reductions—including a recent government-wide reduction-in-force during a federal shutdown—mean that OSEP’s remaining approximately 20 employees are among the 466 staffers now facing termination, as reported by Education Week.
An OSEP staffer overseeing research and grants lamented, “Staff always try to align our work with whatever the priorities are of the secretary of the administration. And we could have done things together on that very issue, but we got the rug pulled out from under us.”
Cuts Ripple Across Multiple Offices
The impact of these staff reductions extends far beyond special education. Six of the agency’s seventeen offices are being scaled back, affecting teams responsible for managing civil rights investigations, K-12 and higher education grants, and services for students with disabilities or those experiencing homelessness. The full extent of these reductions remains unclear; furloughed employees have been advised not to check work emails, leaving many uncertain about their own job security or that of their colleagues, Education Week reports.
For programs that rely on specialized personnel, the consequences are immediate. Without adequate staff to manage grants, the government may be able to distribute funds but will struggle to provide essential oversight or guidance. Josie Skinner, a former Education Department lawyer, told Education Week, “I don’t see how you can make the argument that this is not a dismantling of these offices.”
Special Education and Civil Rights on the Line
The layoffs could effectively dismantle OSEP, potentially leaving fewer than five employees to manage a program that once had between 80 to 90 staffers. Cuts to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have already halved its workforce, reducing its twelve regional offices to just five, with only 120 staff remaining. Catherine Lhamon, former assistant secretary of civil rights, informed Education Week that “OCR could not afford any cuts, period, and needed desperately to add staff because of the quantum of harm in schools with respect to civil rights and the many, many thousands of cases coming into the office.”
Even programs with decades of bipartisan support—such as those focused on literacy, mental health, and charter schools—face the threat of stalled or reversed progress due to these reductions. Without staff to ensure compliance, enforce civil rights protections, and guide school districts, federal mandates risk becoming ineffective. “If there are not people there to make sure the laws are followed, the laws are meaningless,” Skinner emphasized to Education Week.
Grants and Programs Face Uncertainty
Federal employees who manage grants do more than just allocate funds. They provide crucial advice to districts on compliance, help schools optimize resources, and gather data to inform future programming. Amanda Karhuse of the National Association for Music Education points out that “Without nudging from staffers…many school districts and state agencies wouldn’t have known they’re allowed to spend Title I formula funds on arts education initiatives,” as reported by Education Week.
Even grants currently awaiting disbursement, like the $270 million designated for school-based mental health services, now face an uncertain future. Kayla Patrick, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, told Education Week, “Even if and when this shutdown ends, there’s no one to do that work.”
The Uncertain Future for Students and Schools
Some affected employees have already begun seeking alternative employment, while others hold onto hope that congressional or judicial intervention might save their positions. Yet, even if reinstated, the profound loss of institutional knowledge and the disruption to vital programs could have long-lasting, negative effects on students, educators, and districts nationwide.
The Education Department’s workforce has dramatically shrunk from over 4,100 employees in January to approximately 2,400. An additional 20% could be lost if current layoff plans proceed, Education Week reports. The potential outcome, staff warn, is a federal education system severely hampered in its ability to enforce laws, manage grants, or adequately support students with specialized needs.
For an agency charged with upholding civil rights, promoting equity, and guiding the nation’s schools, the implications could not be more critical.