Linda McMahon is sworn in as Secretary of Education. Photo: U.S. Department of Education
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Trump administration announced Tuesday nearly half of all workers at the U.S. Department of Education will be laid off. According to The Associated Press, that includes workers at the department's regional office in Boston.
In a statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the layoffs reflect the agency's "commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers."
The Massachusetts Teachers Association said layoffs at the department stand to harm school communities.
"Eliminating half of the department’s staff is in keeping with President Trump’s stated desire to shutter the federal Department of Education," MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy said in a joint statement Wednesday. "Most of the funding provided by the department supports students in poor communities and students with disabilities. It also allows our young people to access higher education."
McMahon said the Department of Education "will continue to deliver on all statutory programs" under its purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, and funding for students with special needs.
President Donald Trump has argued in favor of shuttering the Department of Education entirely so each state can have power over its own education policies, but the president cannot close a federal agency without approval from Congress.
Page and McCarthy said public schools in Massachusetts already have "a great deal of autonomy and receive most of their guidance from the state," not the federal government. They said the federal department's main contribution to the state's school system comes in the form of financial backing.
"This money is crucial to providing special education services and meals in schools and ensuring that all students have equitable access to a high-quality public education," Page and McCarthy said. "If positions supported by federal funds are cut, class sizes will likely grow for all students."
When President Trump took office in January, the Department of Education was employing 4,133 workers, McMahon said. After the layoffs announced Tuesday, the workforce will stand at 2,183.
Nearly 600 of the employees facing layoffs have accepted voluntary "resignation opportunities and retirement," McMahon said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@madisonwbz) reports.