In March, the Trump administration initiated the layoff of 1,378 employees at the U.S. Department of Education, following $1.5 billion in cuts to federal education grants—$600 million slashed from teacher training and $900 million from research funding.
Although a federal judge temporarily blocked the layoffs in May—calling it an unlawful attempt to dismantle the department without congressional approval—the Supreme Court on Monday overturned that injunction. The decision clears the way for Education Secretary Linda McMahon to move forward with the workforce reductions.
According to ABC News, affected employees were notified they would be placed on administrative leave starting March 21, with full pay and benefits through June 9.
Who’s Impacted?
According to K-12 Dive, about 970 of the 1,378 laid-off employees were union members. The cuts affect critical departments and programs:
- Office for Civil Rights (OCR): Seven of 12 regional offices—including those in New York, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco—are being shut down. The closures threaten oversight of civil rights protections for over 30 million K-12 students in more than 60,000 schools.
- Teacher Training: The administration eliminated $600 million in grants for professional development programs like Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED). A $65 million partial restoration was later blocked.
- College Students & Financial Aid: Layoffs at Federal Student Aid (FSA) have raised concerns about potential FAFSA delays for 17 million families, including nearly 800,000 students in California who rely on $3.5 billion in Pell Grants.
- Civil Rights Enforcement: The layoffs include 243 OCR staff, many of whom were attorneys. Civil rights groups including the NAACP have filed lawsuits alleging that the cuts violate constitutional protections under the Fifth Amendment.
- Employees: Among the 1,378 staff affected, 600 accepted $25,000 voluntary buyouts. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which oversees federal education data, was downsized to fewer than 10 employees.
Despite intense legal and political pushback, Monday’s ruling grants the Trump administration full authority to proceed with the department-wide restructuring.
