The Education Department remains operational despite the Trump administration’s stated goal to dismantle it, but internal staff say reorganization efforts have created confusion and potential inefficiencies over the past year and a half. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has characterized the changes as efforts to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles, yet employees who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity expressed concerns about how the restructuring is affecting the agency’s core functions.
The administration has dispersed hundreds of Education Department employees across at least nine other federal buildings in Washington, including moving special education and civil rights offices to facilities operated by the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice. Four of the staffers interviewed are among those relocated workers. Simultaneously, the department is attempting to funnel grant distributions through systems operated by other agencies such as the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, rather than through the Education Department’s existing infrastructure.
Education Department workers responsible for managing billions in federal grants expressed concern that alternative agency systems were not designed for education-specific funding mechanisms. Title I grants, which distribute roughly $18.4 billion annually to schools serving low-income students, have faced particular complications. Staff reported that two attempts to process Title I funds through the Labor Department’s systems were abandoned after states reported technical problems and insufficient staff training. The next Title I distribution, scheduled for Oct. 1, will continue using the Education Department’s original system, though employees indicated the department plans to attempt another transition through Labor’s platform next year.
Some grant transfers have already occurred. A career and technical education grant program transferred to Labor’s systems last year resulted in several states receiving payments months behind schedule, though subsequent distributions of the same funding were processed on time earlier this summer. Employees across multiple offices report spending significant time managing recipient concerns rather than performing their primary duties. Policy experts working with colleges and states noted increased difficulty locating information, navigating changed portals, and obtaining guidance on federal funding processes.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI