The Department of Education was once a department with over 4,000 employees.
After layoffs, retirement and resignations, the department has a little over 2,000.
“I don’t think anybody really recognized how massive the cutbacks were going to be,” Larry Sabato of the University of Virginiaa Center for Politics.
As of now, the impact is unclear regarding how the classroom will be affected.
“I suspect in the short run probably very little because again, most of that is determined by the States and the school districts,” Jim Wyckoff of the University of Virginia.
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Unless some of the workers are brought back or these orders get reversed, the impact may be felt further down the road.
“I think the impact, however. Unless a lot of these cuts end up being restored in one way or another, will be more in the medium and long term,” Wyckoff said.
One of the biggest impacts will be in research that has made its impact in both the short and long term.
“The US Department of Education has funded research that’s made important differences over the years in the way policy gets conducted in schools,” Wyckoff said.
Other areas that could be impacted are student loan repayments and campus safety rules.
As for if this is the last of cuts to the department, Sabato says only time will tell.
“It’s what people will tolerate, and they’re going to get at least what they can tolerate and probably more than they can tolerate,” Sabato said.
