This week, the U.S. Department of Education initiated a reduction in force (RIF) reducing the agency’s workforce from 4,133 employees to approximately 2,183 workers.
This includes nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation opportunities through the Deferred Resignation Program and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment. The other roughly 1,400 employees impacted by the RIF were placed on administrative leave beginning Friday, March 21. Staffing cuts particularly affected the Department’s civil rights, financial aid and education research teams, although the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education lost staff as well.
ACTE and Advance CTE are extremely concerned that staffing and funding cuts at ED are likely to hinder the distribution of Perkins grants, disrupt data collection on CTE participation and outcomes, reduce essential guidance, and jeopardize access for vulnerable learners. These recent actions also appear to essentially eliminate all functions at the Institute of Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics, halting critical research and data collection. Read more in our joint statement.
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