Another office at the Department of Education is on the chopping block after a year of efforts to dismantle the federal agency, pushing the hope of restoration for certain programs further out of reach for opponents.
The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), used to support English language learners, is the latest of dozens of programs that have been broken up or moved by the Education Department to fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise to shut down the agency.
While opponents have not lost hope the department can be rebuilt, the task becomes more difficult by the day with programs shuttered, thousands of employees fired and some initiatives transferring to completely different federal agencies.
“I do think we can and will rebuild, but the how-long or how, I think that’s something that a lot of people are trying to think about and figure out right now,” said Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252, the union representing employees at the department. “I wouldn’t be in the job that I’m in if I didn’t believe that rebuilding was a possibility.”
Education Week first reported that the Education Department sent a letter to Congress back in February informing lawmakers of the intention to shut down OELA.
The office has managed almost $1 billion in Title III funds to support the 5 million English language learners in U.S. schools, helping schools and educators cover the costs of services and teacher preparation for these students.
“The Department of Education is focused on returning education to the states while preserving critical funding and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy that can slow support to students and families. English Learners should never be treated as a siloed program, set aside as an afterthought,” Kirsten Baesler, assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in a statement to The Hill.
