With less than 36 hours to go until the federal government shuts down, federal agencies are preparing their contingency plans in case Congress can’t reach a funding agreement.
In case of a shutdown, the federal Education Department would furlough over nine in 10 of its employees in the first week of the shutdown. For a shutdown lasting longer than a week, no more than six percent of employees may be phased back into work.
In spite of that, much of the department’s most important functions would continue as if business were usual, at least from the public’s viewpoint. Student financial aid payments would go uninterrupted, including Pell Grants and student loans. Most of the federal portion of funding for K-12 education would continue to flow. Several grant programs already have funding through the end of the calendar year, but could not operate beyond then.
The department says it employs over 4,000 employees. No more than 250 of them would be called in to work during a shutdown, with over half of those working on student aid programs. Initially, furloughed employees would not be paid for days spent not working. While not legally mandated, Congress typically provides back pay for employees furloughed by a shutdown.
If a shutdown lasts beyond one week, most schools would still be unaffected. Schools on military bases and Indian reservations, however, could temporarily lose about one-fifth of their funding. That funding would likely be restored after the shutdown is lifted.
Overall, most students would largely be unaffected by a temporary government shutdown, even with 90 percent of the department’s staff furloughed.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
