Education Department reshuffle sparks concerns over efficiency and grant delivery
Staff say the Education Department’s recent relocations and interagency agreements have made grant administration more complex and may hinder support for low-income and disabled students.
According to Education Department workers who spoke anonymously, the agency’s effort to break up its operations has led to staff being dispersed among multiple federal sites, including special education and civil-rights offices now housed in other agencies. Grants such as the $18.4 billion Title I program have been shifted to the Labor Department’s platforms, which staff say lack the necessary expertise, prompting states to push back and causing processing delays.
The department maintains that funding will continue uninterrupted, but employees worry about the complexity of using three separate grant-management tools. Congressional leaders have asked the GAO to assess the financial impact of the interagency agreements, and some senators have called for transparency on taxpayer costs. Meanwhile, the physical move from the Lyndon B. Johnson building to a smaller space is touted as a cost-saving measure, though critics note additional renovation expenses and duplicated workspaces.
Why it matters
The restructuring could affect how billions in federal education aid reach the students who need it most.
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