The firings could have ‘profound detrimental effects on our keiki,’ says HSTA president
Posted: March 11, 2025
The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday it would lay off nearly half its staff, as federal government agencies worked to meet President Donald Trump’s Thursday deadline for them to submit plans for a second round of mass layoffs.
More than 1,300 affected education employees will be placed on administrative leave starting on March 21, the department said in a news release announcing the firings. The terminations are part of the department’s “final mission,” the release said, alluding to Trump’s repeated campaign vow to eliminate the education department.
Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Osa Tui, Jr. said, “These firings thousands of miles away from our islands could have profound detrimental effects on our keiki and the vital services they currently receive.”
“Teachers across Hawaiʻi have told me they are deeply concerned and worried for their most vulnerable student populations,” Tui added.
A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general, including Hawai’i’s AG, Thursday sued the Trump administration to block the dismantling of the federal education department, alleging the firing of 50% of its employees “incapacitates” the department’s ability to compete its legally-required functions.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D, HI) criticized the administration’s move to cut half of the U.S. DOE’s workforce.
“Clearly our education system needs fixing so that every child in America can get the world-class education they deserve. But the solution is not to pull funding and resources from local schools and tell families to figure it out themselves,” Schatz said in a news release.
“People voted for Donald Trump to lower costs and make life more affordable – not to crush their children’s futures. Worse, the so-called ‘savings’ from this absurd move will be shoveled straight into the pockets of billionaires. Thanks to Trump, billionaires get ahead while children fall behind,” Schatz added.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D, HI) released a statement that said, “The Department of Education supports low-income students and students with disabilities, prevents discrimination in the classroom, and ensures access to afterschool and summer programs, while supporting important services like school lunch for kids in need.”
“Donald Trump’s cruel effort to gut the department from the inside out will wreak havoc on schools and communities across the country, leaving students, educators, and families paying the price,” Hirono added.
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D, HI), said in a social media post, “As a proud public school graduate and the mom of kids in public schools, this is the most disgusting DOGE cut yet,” referring to the haphazard government cost cutting efforts being led by billionaire Elon Musk.
“Musk, there’s a special place in hell for you,” Tokuda added.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle said, “Educators won’t be silent as anti-public education politicians try to steal opportunities from our students, our families, and our communities to finance tax cuts for billionaires.”
“Most of us believe every student deserves opportunity, resources, and support to reach their full potential no matter where they live, the color of their skin, or how much their family earns,” Pringle said in a statement.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have aimed their wrecking ball at public schools and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America by dismantling public education to pay for tax handouts for billionaires,” said Pringle, who heads the nation’s largest union with 3 million educators.
“The real victims will be our most vulnerable students,” Pringle said, adding that gutting the U.S. DOE will send class sizes soaring, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and lessen student civil rights protections.
“Firing — without cause — nearly half of the Department of Education staff means they are getting rid of the dedicated public servants who help ensure our nation’s students have access to the programs and resources to keep class sizes down and expand learning opportunities for students so they can grow into their full brilliance. The Trump administration has abandoned students, parents, and educators across the nation,” Pringle added.
“Together with parents and allies, we will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize so that all students have well-resourced public schools that allow every student to thrive,” said Pringle.
In its Ho’oha‘aheo newsletter Wednesday, HIDOE said, “While the U.S. Education Department has assured that core programs — including formula funding, special education funding, student loans and Pell Grants — will continue, we recognize that such a large-scale shift could have downstream effects on K-12 education.”
“We are closely monitoring this situation to assess any potential impacts on our schools, educators and students. Our commitment remains steadfast: we will continue advocating for the resources and support our public education system needs,” HIDOE said.
“A dedicated HIDOE work group meets weekly to analyze federal policies and their implications. We recognize the significant threats to education funding and the state’s financial plan. We will continue working closely with our federal and state partners to ensure continuity in the services and programs that support Hawai‘i’s students,” HIDOE added.
How island keiki could be affected by U.S. DOE cuts
Trump has said he wants to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a move experts said could gut public education funding and disproportionately impact high-need students across the country who rely on statutorily authorized programs, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title 1, which provides funding for low-income families.
An order to dismantle the U.S. DOE would require congressional approval; any proposed legislation would likely fail without 60 Senate votes.
The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education receives close to 11% of its annual funding from the federal government.
The U.S. DOE provides Hawaiʻi nearly $52 million a year in Title 1 funding, helping more than 96,000 of our most vulnerable students with vital funding to hire teachers and support staff. Losing federal dollars would further exacerbate the educator shortages plaguing Hawaiʻi public schools, causing students’ class sizes to balloon.
The federal education department also supports almost 20,000 Hawaiʻi students with special needs with nearly $38 million in funding every year.