The entire staff at Boston’s Department of Education building is being let go as the Trump administration continues to slash.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and a coalition of 20 other state attorneys general are suing the Trump Administration over its efforts to shut down the Department of Education, which they say cannot be done without congressional approval.
Nearly half of the Education Department's workforce is set to be off the job, including all of the employees in Boston's regional office.
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About 1,300 career employees received termination notices Tuesday night, informing them they will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Boston's federal court, the attorneys general said these drastic cuts will make the department unable to perform its statutory duties. Because the president cannot dismantle a department created by Congress without its approval according to the Constitution, the lawsuit argues the actions are unlawful.
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The action names President Donald Trump U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and the U.S. Department of Education as defendants.
“By attempting to dismantle the Department of Education which, among many things, funds educational programs that benefit low-income children and students with disabilities and enforces laws that prohibit discrimination in education, the Trump Administration is making it crystal clear that it does not prioritize our students, teachers or families,” Campbell said in a media statement.
The Department of Education has various responsibilities, including ensuring equal opportunities to all students, promoting education improvements through research and communication, and coordinating education initiatives across the country. In Massachusetts alone, the department directs nearly $2 billion in funding for K-12 schools, money that is used for things like special education programs, teacher salaries and benefits, social workers, professional development programs, after school programs, transportation, and reading and language specialists.
Due to collective bargaining agreements, laid-off workers will get full pay and benefits until June 9 along with severance based on time served.
Trump campaigned on a promise to close the Department of Education.
Governor Maura Healey says that would be disastrous for children who need help the most.
“What that potentially means is we see federal funding going away for Head Start, for special education, for after school programs, for Title 1 programs," Mass. Governor Maura Healey said. "Imagine if your child is on an IEP and has the benefit of an aid in the classroom, you know funding for this is all going to go away so I pray to God it doesn’t happen.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement that the layoffs reflect the department's "commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.”
