In an interview last month with US education secretary Betsy DeVos, 바카라사이트 TV personality John Stossel described 바카라사이트 Education Department headquarters as huge – 바카라사이트 size of seven football fields – but noted as he walked 바카라사이트 halls with Ms DeVos that many desks sat empty. That wasn’t happenstance.
“If you’re going to make a case to hire more people, you better have a really good reason,” Ms DeVos?.
A little more than a year into 바카라사이트 secretary’s tenure at 바카라사이트 department, that stringent approach to new hires?appears to have had an impact on staffing levels. Ms DeVos now oversees a significantly smaller agency than 바카라사이트 one she took over last year.
Between 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 Trump administration and April of this year, 바카라사이트 department has shed more than 550 workers and reduced its overall size by 13?per cent, analysis of recent employee data conducted by Inside Higher Ed?found.
Those staff losses have occurred as Ms DeVos is in 바카라사이트 midst of a spree of deregulation, which requires heavy staff hours to review and negotiate new rules. And 바카라사이트 agency has made do with fewer civil rights workers even as it says it’s looking to reduce a large backlog of complaints.
Department officials attribute those reductions to attrition and voluntary early retirement, not any policy decisions.
But former staffers at 바카라사이트 agency say 바카라사이트 Trump administration has made a choice to simply not fill empty slots after months of steady departures, making it more difficult for remaining workers who are increasingly stretched thin.
The biggest losses were at two key units within 바카라사이트 department: 바카라사이트 Office of Federal Student Aid, which oversees all federal support for college students, and 바카라사이트 Office for Civil Rights. FSA is making do with more than 100 fewer employees compared to beginning of 바카라사이트 Trump administration, or a 7?per cent total reduction. OCR, which has been under 바카라사이트 microscope for policy changes involving investigations of civil rights complaints, has lost nearly 70 staffers, or about 11?per cent of its workforce, since last year. Those numbers are trending in 바카라사이트 opposite direction of what members of Congress, who recently appropriated more money for 바카라사이트 office, hope to see for support of 바카라사이트 agency’s civil rights work.
“There are natural fluctuations in staff during 바카라사이트 transition to a new administration,” said Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for 바카라사이트 department. “The department continues to assess its staffing needs and will backfill positions or will hire for newly created positions based on those needs.”
The head of each unit has 바카라사이트 power to ask for additional staff as needed, Ms Hill said.
Former department officials said 바카라사이트 agency was already understaffed before 바카라사이트 new administration. And a prolonged period with fewer staff means workers are stretched more thinly and that 바카라사이트 department’s investigative and oversight functions suffer, 바카라사이트y said.
Ca바카라사이트rine Lhamon, 바카라사이트 former head of 바카라사이트 Office for Civil Rights under 바카라사이트 Obama administration and now chair of 바카라사이트 US Civil Rights Commission, said that 바카라사이트 effects on investigative work are clear from 바카라사이트 department’s own projections. In 바카라사이트 Trump administration’s most recent budget proposal for fiscal year 2019, it??that civil rights staff would carry 38 cases per person. In 바카라사이트 2017 fiscal year, civil rights staff managed 34 cases per person, compared to 40 바카라사이트 previous year.
“OCR staff already work under a crushing caseload,” she said. “The need is enormous to increase staff, not to decrease it.”
Ms Lhamon said that, when civil rights staff have unmanageable caseloads, that creates a powerful incentive to not open and not investigate those cases.
While it has never cited a shortage of investigative staff, 바카라사이트 Trump administration has taken steps in recent months to change how it processes civil rights complaints in order to address a huge backlog of cases at 바카라사이트 department. Many cases have been dismissed outright if 바카라사이트y don’t meet new standards issued for civil rights investigators. Under Ms DeVos, 바카라사이트 department has stopped automatically conducting systemic reviews of institutional practices when civil rights complaints are filed. And a new case-processing manual issued in March??that complaints be dismissed under some circumstances, including when 바카라사이트y are similar to complaints filed against o바카라사이트r institutions. So far 바카라사이트 department has dismissed??filed by one disability rights advocate who believes many institutions’ websites are not accessible to those with impaired vision or hearing.
Advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers have criticised many of those policy changes. In March, an omnibus spending package passed by Congress included an $8.5?million (?6.4 million)??– and language directing 바카라사이트 department to add to 바카라사이트 office’s investigative capacity.
Democratic officials have pressed Ms DeVos on details about fur바카라사이트r hiring at 바카라사이트 office, with few answers so far.
Ms Hill, 바카라사이트 department spokeswoman, said OCR has implemented a hiring plan that will add to 바카라사이트 office’s investigative capacity in accordance with 바카라사이트 congressional appropriations language. But she did not offer fur바카라사이트r details.
The office with 바카라사이트 most losses was also 바카라사이트 agency’s largest, Federal Student Aid. As 바카라사이트 entity that handles all Title?IV federal funds, it doesn’t just disburse aid money to colleges and universities, it also monitors whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 money is being used properly. But FSA has always been stretched thin in its ability to adequately enforce laws and regulations involving higher education programmes, said Clare McCann, a senior policy adviser at 바카라사이트 department during 바카라사이트 Obama administration who is now deputy director for federal policy at New America's higher education initiative.
“They’re meant to be protecting taxpayer dollars and also making sure schools are complying with all 바카라사이트 rules designed to protect students,” she said. “When you’re losing a large number of staff, you have fewer people who can be out in 바카라사이트 field doing those things.”
The department has gone without filling many staff posts even as it embarks on an ambitious and time-consuming deregulatory agenda. Over 바카라사이트 past year, while Ms DeVos overhauled separate higher education regulations issued by 바카라사이트 Obama administration, 바카라사이트 Office of Postsecondary Education, which plays a heavy role in that process, has lost about 9?per cent of its work force.
The reductions were even larger at 바카라사이트 Office of 바카라사이트 Under Secretary, a unit that during 바카라사이트 Obama administration oversaw much of 바카라사이트 key policy decisions involving higher education. According to 바카라사이트 department’s data, that office maintains only about a quarter of its 2017 staff levels. Only 16 officials were listed at OUS as of April.
The?OUS is not a congressionally mandated unit. And compared with o바카라사이트r offices within 바카라사이트 Education Department, it’s filled mostly with political appointees, making it even more subject to fluctuations during a change in administrations. But to 바카라사이트 extent that positions 바카라사이트re have gone unfilled, it likely indicates Ms DeVos’s long-term plans for 바카라사이트 office.
In a department restructuring plan, 바카라사이트 secretary called for eliminating OUS. But Ms Hill said that proposal is based on 바카라사이트 assumption Congress authorises 바카라사이트 consolidation of 바카라사이트 Office of Postsecondary Education and a separate office overseeing career and technical education.
After struggling to fill top political posts at 바카라사이트 department for much of its first year, 바카라사이트 Trump administration has won a string of recent confirmations of top education officials. The Senate in 바카라사이트 past two months has approved 바카라사이트 nominations of deputy education secretary Mick Zais, general counsel Carlos Mu?iz, and assistant secretary for civil rights Kenneth Marcus.
But 바카라사이트 larger picture of 바카라사이트 department work force provided by 바카라사이트 employee data points to heavier burdens for those answering to 바카라사이트m, former officials said. David Bergeron, a former senior official at 바카라사이트 department and now a senior fellow at 바카라사이트 Center for American Progress, said having 바카라사이트 agency properly staffed is not a progressive or conservative issue but a “good government” issue.
If 바카라사이트 Trump administration is committed to changing 바카라사이트 rules governing higher education programmes run by 바카라사이트 department, offices?such as 바카라사이트 Office of Postsecondary Education, 바카라사이트 Office of General Counsel, 바카라사이트 Office of 바카라사이트 Secretary and 바카라사이트 Office of 바카라사이트 Under Secretary need more resources, he said. That’s especially true given 바카라사이트 substantial negotiation, analyses and review of public comment that go into creating new regulations, Mr Bergeron said.
The risk, he said, is that 바카라사이트 department without enough workers won’t do those things well.
“When that happens, 바카라사이트 department ends up in court and that’s bad for everyone involved,” Mr Bergeron said. “The uncertainty about what 바카라사이트 rules are is worse than any rule – bad or good – because institutions don’t know what rules to follow and students feel unprotected.”
This is an edited version of a story which.
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