Nearly half of the Education Department’s workforce is set to be off the job, including employees right in Boston.
All employees working out of the department’s regional office in Boston will be part of these layoffs. Employees in similar regional offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Cleveland are also losing their jobs.
About 1,300 career employees received termination notices Tuesday night, informing them they will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21.
That’s about half of the Department of Education’s staff nationwide.
All employees were told the department’s Washington headquarters and regional offices would be closed today, with access forbidden, before reopening Thursday.
The Department of Education says dozens of schools, including six in Massachusetts, are facing “potential enforcement.”
The only reason given for the closures was unspecified “security reasons.”
The department says, due to collective bargaining agreements, laid off workers will get full pay and benefits until June 9 along with severance based on time served.
President Trump campaigned on a promise to close the Department of Education – but he can’t unilaterally get rid of a federal agency without Congressional approval.
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.”
Officials said the department is also terminating leases on buildings in cities, including in Boston.
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.”
