DOGE claims to have saved $881M on education cuts, but the numbers disagree: A lose-lose game for academics? – The Times of India
The newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has announced a staggering $900 million slash from the US Department of Education’s budget. However, scratching the superficial numbers, statistics narrate an altogether different story. The actual savings hover around $278 million, while the fallout pushes academic research toward extinction and erodes education quality.
Critics view this move as akin to sacrificing the intellectual backbone of the country, beautifully wrapped in the guise of efficiency. With classrooms underfunded and research teetering on the edge, is America saving dimes but losing dollars? Will the “land of opportunities” soon find itself paying an exorbitant price in lost innovation and dwindling academic excellence?
As the nation finds itself shackled in jeopardy, a pressing question looms large: Will America stride its path toward lasting educational progress, or will it risk sinking into mediocrity for short-term savings?
The misleading math behind the cuts
DOGE previously claimed savings of $881 million by abruptly cutting off 89 contracts at the Education Department’s research arm. Nonetheless, reports from New America, a left-leaning think tank, highlight that the real value of those contracts was near $676 million. Further investigation found out that the DOGE team later adjusted its own reported savings, listing only $489 million on its “Wall of Receipts” website according to media reports.
But even the revised statistics fail to account for the nearly $400 million the government had already spent on those agreements- money that is now effectively wasted rather than saved. Since many of the contracts were cancelled when they were mid-way, this will compel a costly rebidding process, further straining taxpayer funds and delaying pivotal research initiatives.
A blow to education research
The repercussions of these financial cuts transcend beyond numbers. Numerous projects truncated by DOGE were long-term studies that inform national education policies. As New America researchers pointed out, “Research cannot be undone, and statistics cannot be uncollected.” The abrupt withdrawal means that millions of dollars in partially completed studies will likely sit idle, gathering dust on computer servers rather than contributing to informed policymaking.
Antoinette Flores, a former Education Department official, criticised the move, stated “This is work that is in progress, and that you will get nothing for” as reported by USA Today. She backed the decision to cancelling a subscription mid-term- except in this case, the wasted investment in significant data and research that can no longer be utilised to improve education in the United States.
The risks of cutting blindly
The cuts have massively impacted the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the Department of Education’s primary research arm, particularly hard. This agency played an instrumental role in facilitating data-driven insights into key issues like student achievement gaps, teacher effectiveness, and curriculum reforms. Without its research, policymakers and educators fail to keep sight of an essential tool to make informed decisions.
Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, voiced her concerns in an interview with CBS News: “Without that research, without that accountability, without that transparency, we’re really flying blind.”
Meanwhile, conservative and liberal education experts alike have criticized the cuts. Even the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a right-leaning think tank, found flaws in DOGE’s reported savings.
A political gamble with high-stakes
Responding to overwhelming criticism, the White House in an attempt to safeguard DOGE’s calculations, contented that the task force has been presenting a clear picture about both “ceiling” and “savings” values. However, the Education Department itself has taken a more controversial turn, claiming that the establishment of IES two decades ago has left students “no better off.”
“We want to ensure that every dollar being spent is directed toward improving education for kids—not conferences and reports on reports,” the department posted on social media platform X.
This argument, nonetheless, takes no notice of the fact that numerous data-driven reforms in US education- whether championed by Democrats or Republicans- have relied on research funded by IES. Even former Trump administration officials who pushed for school reforms complemented their recommendations on studies from the research arm now being axed.
The true cost of cutting education research
While DOGE’s claim of pinching taxpayers’ money may navigate to a fascinating headline, the reality is perplexing and unsettling. The actual savings are profoundly lower than stated, and the price paid is exorbitantly high in lost research, wasted funds, and undermined education quality.
Ultimately, this move can roll back the US down the course, leaving policymakers grappling to dig out critical data they need to cater to systemic challenges. In the rush to cut off budgets, DOGE may have done more harm than good, transforming what was meant to be a cost-cutting triumph into a lose-lose game for academics and students alike.
