The Department of Education’s second round of layoffs affects nearly 500 employees, leaving several offices with few or no staff.
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Education Minister Linda McMahon has essentially gutted her department’s higher education student services division, leaving TRIO grant recipients and other leaders of college preparatory programs with no one to turn to.
A former OPE employee told reporters that before the latest round of layoffs, which were implemented last Friday and have now been put on hold by a federal judge, the Office of Higher Education’s student services division had about 40 employees Inside higher education. Now, he and others say that number has dwindled to just two or three.
The consequence, college access advocates say, is that institutions may not be able to provide the same level of support to thousands of low-income and first-generation prospective students.
“This is extremely disruptive for students who rely on these services to answer questions, get the college admissions and financial aid information they need to apply, and support students after they enroll,” said Antoinette Flores, a former department official under the Biden administration who now works at the left-leaning think tank New America. [reduction in force] All these services are at risk. “
The layoffs are another blow to the federal TRIO program, which helps underrepresented and low-income students get into college and complete their studies. President Trump unsuccessfully proposed defunding these programs earlier this year, and the administration has also canceled dozens of TRIO grants. Now, those who do receive funding may struggle to contact the department for guidance.
In a statement Wednesday, McMahon described the government shutdown and RIF as an opportunity for agencies to “evaluate which federal responsibilities are truly critical to the American people.”
“Two weeks later, millions of American students are still in school, teachers are being paid, and schools are operating normally. This confirms what the president said: the federal Department of Education is unnecessary,” she wrote on social media.
This is the second round of layoffs at the Department of Education since Trump took office. The first occurred in March, when the department’s staff was cut nearly in half, from about 4,200 to more than 2,400, affecting nearly every area of the institution, including student services and the federal student aid office.
Nearly 500 employees lost their jobs in the latest round, which the government blames on the shutdown that began on Oct. 1. No FSA employees were affected, but the Office of Higher Education was hit hard.
Jason Cottrell, OPE’s former data coordinator who worked in student and institutional services for more than nine years, lost his job in March but remains in close contact with colleagues who remain. Most of them were fired on Friday, leaving only top executives in two departments and some front-office managers. That’s down from about 60 employees in September and about 100 at the beginning of the year, he said.
At the beginning of the year, OPE included five offices, but now only the Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation remains, which includes groups that oversee accreditation and work on updating new policies and regulations.
Cottrell said OPE’s layoffs will leave recipients who rely on these officers for guidance without a clear point of contact within the department. Additionally, he said there would be no nonpartisan staff to oversee how taxpayer dollars are spent.
“Longer term, I’m looking at the next round of grant applications that are coming up…some of them [the grant programs] “We’re going to get 1,100 to 1,200 applications,” he explained, “and who’s going to be there to actually organize and set up those grant application processes to ensure that the rules and regulations are being followed accurately?”
Flores has similar concerns.
“These [cuts] “Staff in the department provide funding and technical assistance to under-resourced institutions and serve some of the most vulnerable students in the higher education system,” she said. “Going forward, this creates uncertainty about funding, on which these institutions rely heavily.”
Other parts of the department affected by the layoffs include the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, the Office of Communications and Outreach, the Office of Formula Grants and the Office of Programs and Grantee Support Services.
While remaining TRIO projects and other grant recipients reporting to OPE may have received the majority of this year’s funding, Cottrell noted that they often need to check with grant officers throughout the year to obtain remaining funding. Without these staff members, universities may struggle to make full use of their grant funding.
“This will harm these institutions and, most importantly, it will harm the students who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of these programs,” he said. “These programs are really reserved for under-resourced institutions and underserved students. When I look at the overall picture of what’s happening in the sector and across higher education, I think this is a strategic use of the opportunities that this administration has created.”
