The Education Department began mass dismissals on Tuesday night, reducing its workforce by almost 50%, sources told ABC News.
The “force reduction” notices began to leave at 6 pm
Some 1,315 employees were affected by the RIF, leaving 2,183 employees by the department, according to senior doe officials.
The impacted staff will be placed on the administrative license as of March 21, said a statement from the Department of Education. They will receive full wages and benefits until June 9, added senior officials.
Civil and supporters of the Department of Education are manifested outside the Washington Department, on March 11, 2025.
Jim LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTO/JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTO
The statement also said that the DOE “will continue to deliver all the legal programs that are in the scope of the agency, including formula funds, student loans, Pell subsidies, financing for students with special needs and competitive subsidies.”
“Today’s reduction reflects the commitment of the Department of Education with efficiency, responsibility and guarantee that resources are directed where they matter most: for students, parents and teachers,” said the Secretary of Education Linda McMahon shortly after notifications came out on Tuesday.
“I appreciate the work of dedicated public servants and their contributions to the department,” he said. “This is a significant step to restore the greatness of the United States Educational System.”
The reduction of the reduction of personnel “each” sector of the department in some way, according to the senior officials of the Department of Education.
“This is mainly a rationalization effort for internal opposite roles and not external opposite roles,” said officials said.
After the wave of dismissal notifications, those who remained employed by the DOE received their own email. ABC News obtained a copy, which said, in part: “As we move forward, our mission and responsibilities will remain, but there will be significant changes in the way we work. What we choose to prioritize and, in turn, not prioritize, will be critical in this transition.”
“Please, know that these decisions were not made lightly, and in no way reflect on the dedication and hard work of those who leave,” he said, before referring to this moment as the “final mission” of the DOE and suggesting: “Let’s continue advancing as a team.”
In the next steps, six communications offices are consolidated, the authorities explained, and the leases will end in the main cities, including San Francisco, New York, Cleveland, Boston, Chicago and Dallas.
The three doe buildings in Washington, DC, will also consolidate, according to senior officials.
The announcement occurred shortly after the DOE employees were told that their offices, including those of the national capital region, together with the regional locations, would be closed by the day on Wednesday.
Citing “security reasons,” an email came out saying that the buildings would be inaccessible from 6 pm, a source inside the department to ABC News said.
“The building must be vacated for that time,” an email from the department to employees reads in part, and added “all the offices of the NCR and the regions will be closed to employees and employees of the contractors on Wednesday, March 12.”
The senior officials prepared later that security precautions were destined to protect the remaining employees who retained their positions with the DOE.
The email also instructed employees to take home with them after work on Tuesday.
“Take your laptop with you when you leave on Tuesday. Employees will not be allowed at any installation on Wednesday, March 12 for any reason. All offices will open on Thursday, March 13, at which time the presence will resume in person,” said the email.
Email also said that employees with approved teleworking agreements can work from home; However, such teleworking agreements are no longer in place, an employee told ABC News. The DOE requested that its total workforce returned to its offices at the end of last month.
The closing notification occurs when President Donald Trump weighs an executive order to close the agency and transfer the supervision of education to the states. The decision to sign that the order was delayed due to the concerns about the questions that the administration could obtain about vital programs that could be destroyed by it.
Within the department, employees are preparing for future uncertainty.
“People are petrified to do their job,” said an employee from the Department of Education to ABC News. “People are worried about, if I go back to something that someone wants to do, right, and I say, that’s not really what the law says or is it legal, will I get bad performance and now use poor performance to kick me?”
“Everyone here is containing breathing,” added the DOE employee.
The president of the National Education Association, Becky Pringle, issued a statement in response to layoffs on Tuesday, saying: “Shooting, without cause, almost half of the staff of the Department of Education means that they are getting rid of the dedicated public servants that help ensure that students of our nation have access to programs and resources to maintain lower classes and expand learning opportunities so that students can grow in their brilliance.
