Government shutdown offers schools a glimpse of life without an Education Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has been a source of anxiety for school leaders wondering how long grant money will last and who can help them interpret federal laws. For Education Secretary Linda McMahon, it offers a preview of what she hopes to make permanent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has been a source of anxiety for school leaders wondering how long grant money will last and who can help them interpret federal laws. For Education Secretary Linda McMahon, it offers a preview of what she hopes to make permanent.

Much of the department’s work has gone completely cold. No new grants are being awarded, and civil rights investigations have been halted. Money is still flowing for key programs, but in many respects, schools and states are on their own.

That’s the vision President Donald Trump has promoted since his presidential campaign — a world where states fully have the reins of education policy with little or no influence from the federal government.

Even before the shutdown, mass layoffs had left the agency with 2,400 employees, down from 4,100 when Trump took office. Remaining workers have mostly been furloughed during the budget impasse, leaving some 330 who are responsible for carrying out duties that are deemed essential.

In a recent social media post, McMahon said the shutdown proves her department is unnecessary. “Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal,” McMahon wrote.

She offered a more direct assessment days later, after the agency hit its 46th year: “We don’t need a birthday cake,” she wrote. “We need an eviction notice.”

Some say the shutdown’s impact has been more significant. They warn that funding for preschool centers and school meals is running out, and students with disabilities might not be getting the help they need.

Here’s what we know about the impact so far.