ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Education announced it plans to cut about half of its staff. Now, some metro Atlanta educators said they are concerned about the future of certain school programs.
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“A federal department of education is necessary to ensure that all students receive the resources that they need,” Lisa Morgan, President of the Georgia Association of Educators, told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington on Wednesday.
Morgan fought back tears as she spoke about the planned cuts to the Department of Education.
“Are you scared?” Washington asked.
“I am scared. The fear and the emotion comes from my students,” Morgan said.
In a news release, the department said it planned to lay off about 1,300 employees but will continue to deliver on its key functions.
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Georgia GOP chair, Josh McKoon, said the cuts are necessary to get rid of the red tape.
“A shift more to a block grant where basically this money gets sent to states to administer so there will be less red tape out of Washington,” McKoon explained.
As for possible cuts to certain school programs, McKoon told Washington that’s unlikely.
“There’s no evidence that I’ve seen for a reduction in programs,” McKoon said.
But Morgan said she is not convinced.
“We know that there is a risk to the Title I funding,” Morgan said.
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“Not only am I worried, I feel like we all should be worried,” Jasmine Crowe-Houston said.
Crowe-Houston is the founder of Goodr, a hunger solutions organization that services metro Atlanta.
“These programs are vital for the success of our kids who are our future,” Jasmine Crowe-Houston explained.
In the news release, the Department of Education said the agency will continue to oversee student loan management and Pell grants.
The agency also said that all impacted department staff would be placed on administrative leave beginning on March 21.
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