The Education Department's efforts to fire staff cost over $28 million, watchdog says

"A new report from a government watchdog suggests the Trump administration's efforts to fire staff at the U.S. Department of Education cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. The report, from the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), focuses on the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which investigates complaints of discrimination in schools based on students' sex, race, national origin, disability and more."

"In March, the administration attempted to fire more than half of OCR's civil rights attorneys and staff. At the time, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the cuts reflected the department's commitment to "efficiency" and "accountability." But, when that reduction-in-force (RIF) was blocked by the courts and the Education Department was forced to retain and continue paying these staff, the department prohibited them from returning to work."

"For nearly nine months, from March 21 to mid-December, "there were 247 people on administrative leave from OCR who were being paid while not being allowed to work," says Jackie Nowicki, lead investigator of K-12 issues at GAO, "and that decision came with a cost.""

"How GAO came to these numbers Nowicki says the Education Department did not share a complete accounting of the RIF's costs and/or savings, leaving GAO investigators to arrive at their own rough calculation using workers' salaries and benefits. The report recommends that the department do a full accounting now. Kimberly Richey, who was appointed by President Trump to run OCR, rebuffed that suggestion in a written response to GAO's report. Richey argues, because the Education Department eventually rescinded its RIF notices to OCR staff and returned attorneys to active duty in December, the topic is "moot." "We do not concur with the recommendation," Richey writes."

The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that a March reduction-in-force attempt targeted more than half of the Office for Civil Rights' attorneys and staff. Courts blocked the RIF, requiring the Education Department to continue paying the employees while prohibiting them from returning to work. From March 21 to mid-December, 247 OCR personnel were on paid administrative leave. GAO estimated the cost to taxpayers at $28.5 million to $38 million after calculating salaries and benefits because the department did not provide a full accounting. GAO recommended a complete cost accounting; OCR leadership declined to concur, calling the matter moot after rescinding RIF notices.

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