Behind the headline: Cuts at the Department of Education

In October 2025, cuts announced by the White House eliminated nearly all staffing positions at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), seemingly part of a broader push to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (National Public Radio, 2025). With school building, staffing, curriculum and standards development, and other educational functions mostly handled at the local and state level — and with 92% of the funding for elementary/secondary education coming from state, not federal, government, what role is played by the Federal government and OSERS in particular? At press time, the cuts appeared likely to be reversed, but my questions remained.