Times staff report
The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization’s staff — a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency.
Department officials announced the cuts Tuesday, raising questions about the agency’s ability to continue usual operations.
The Trump administration had already been whittling the agency’s staff, though buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesday’s layoffs, the Education Department’s staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,100, the agency said.
Alabama receives a total of about $2.6 billion in revenue from the U.S. Department of Education for K-12 schools and colleges, according to an AL.com analysis of the most recent federal data.
No matter what happens, state leaders are encouraging schools and colleges to brace for changes.
“In the short run, I encourage all those currently supported by the Department of Education’s funding and services to prepare for disruption,” Jim Purcell, of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, told AL.com last week. He said he believes it’s likely that the department will be dissolved.
That funding currently is mandated by Congress. If the Education Department closes, another agency would be in charge of distributing those funds. The Education Department also plays an important regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.
“The most concerning scenario would be one in which the regulations remain in place with reduced funding,” State Superintendent Eric Mackey said in a statement. “So far, we have no indication that might be the case. Nevertheless, we are closely monitoring developments.”
How much federal funding for Alabama schools and colleges?
Public colleges and universities in the state rely the most heavily on federal funds, with about a quarter of revenue, $1.98 billion, coming from government grants and contracts in fiscal year 2023.
In 2021-22, Alabama colleges received the 10th highest allocation of federal funds in the country, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics.
In Alabama’s K-12 schools, federal funding accounted for about $615 million, or 9 percent of the total $6.7 billion allocated in fiscal year 2024.
Funding varies widely by institutions’ missions, locations and the students they serve.
Community colleges typically rely the most on federal funds, with some earning more than half of their revenue from the federal government.
On the K-12 side, rural, high-poverty districts like Perry County can get as much as $8,000 per pupil in federal funds, while Mountain Brook and Orange Beach spend under $1,000.
What will happen to programs for high-poverty schools, special education?
In discussions with state and federal officials, Mackey said leaders were committed to keeping IDEA and Title I funding in place, which support special education programs and high-poverty schools. Alabama received $193 million in IDEA funding and $301 million in Title I funding for fiscal year 2024.
State lawmakers said the shifts would possibly give the state more power to determine how funds are spent.
“The funds will continue to come, it’s just I think we would have more flexibility,” Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, told reporters in February. “The money’s not going to go away.”
Mackey, meanwhile, said he plans to stay focused on reading and math improvements, as well as graduation outcomes. The state has put record amounts of funding into reading and math reforms, and is currently working to reconfigure its school funding model to better serve students with disabilities, English learners and low-income students.
“As we focus on these core issues, we do rely heavily on federal funding for our schools to maintain specialized supports, especially special education, Title I, required assessments, English Language Learners, and child nutrition,” Mackey said “Our schools depend on these funds, and as long as the funds continue to be made available for our schools, less federal regulation and burdensome paperwork we would welcome.”
State higher education support has dwindled over the years, making Alabama one of the most expensive states to attend college, according to recent reports. Purcell said state officials need to work to make institutions less dependent on federal funds.
Federal support for K-12 schools and colleges was in place prior to the creation of the Department of Education in 1979, and Purcell said he expects many of its components, such as student financial aid, to remain in some form.
The biggest impact, he said, could come from non-department contracts such through the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Health. Some estimate that Alabama could lose as much as $46 million in indirect support from NIH for research initiatives from recent rate cuts, Purcell said.
The Trump Administration has already eliminated thousands of federal positions, including at the department for Civil Rights and Institute of Education Sciences, which collects data on academic progress.
“The effort to cut the National Center for Education Statistics is also a major concern,” Purcell added. “Data collected from colleges and universities helps campuses and state leaders in managing and planning higher education efforts.”
Can Trump close the Department of Education?
A draft of the executive order circulated last week recognizes that the president does not have the power to shutter the Education Department, according to reporting from The Washington Post. It would take an act of Congress and 60 “yes” votes in the Senate, which is unlikely given that Republicans hold only 53 seats.
“That takes 60 votes in the Senate, and it takes the majority of the House, and we just haven’t heard that the Congress really wants to do that and completely reorganize the cabinet,” Mackey told reporters in February.
Rather, the draft calls on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps” to facilitate the closure of the department “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”
Officials including McMahon have suggested that might include trying to shift some of the agency’s functions to other parts of government – though that would also face legal hurdles because the agency’s major programs are assigned by law to the Education Department.
More likely is a continuation of what has already begun at the agency: deep cuts to staff, programs and grants. The department has already warned of a “very significant” reduction in force in the short term.
AL.com, The Associated Press contributed reporting.
