Education secretary: Too soon to discern impact of federal layoffs on local schools

By THE STAR STAFF

Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés said Tuesday that it is too early to assess whether the recent wave of layoffs announced by the U.S. Department of Education due to the federal shutdown will impact the local education system and its services.

“To answer your question seriously at this point would be speculative. Currently, we only have unofficial information from the media,” Ramos Parés said at a press conference. “I expect that this week we will start to see developments and understand the exact impact of these layoffs on the federal government, particularly in the Office of Special Education, if the reports from American media are accurate. As of now, our grant has already been awarded, so funding on our end is secure.”

“There has been normal communication with the federal Department of Education in all areas, including special education, up until Friday, so we do not anticipate any negative effects,” he added.

The federal Education Department has various functions beyond just allocating funds, such as monitoring, oversight, data requests, and public information dissemination, Ramos Parés said.

“Much of this information is shared with and through state visits. Our next scheduled visit is in December, and it is still on track,” he noted. “As time passes, I will be glad to provide you with updates, and once we receive official information, we can evaluate the potential impact of these employee departures. However, it is worth noting that with these layoffs, direct communication could be less frequent.”

Sweeping layoffs announced Friday by the administration of President Donald Trump landed another body blow to the U.S. Department of Education, this time gutting the office responsible for overseeing special education, according to multiple sources within the department.

The reduction-in-force, or RIF, affects the dozens of staff members responsible for roughly $15 billion in special education funding and for making sure states provide special education services to the nation’s 7.5 million children with disabilities.

Trump has talked repeatedly about wanting to return education to the states and that dismantling the Education Department is part of that plan.