In a troubling revelation that’s raising eyebrows across Washington, the Department of Education continues to pay millions of dollars monthly to employees with minimal or no assigned duties. My three-month investigation uncovered a practice that has persisted through multiple administrations, where hundreds of staff members receive full salaries despite having few responsibilities.
“We’ve identified approximately 340 employees who fall into what we classify as ‘low-utilization status,'” revealed Thomas Skinner, Deputy Inspector General at the Department of Education, during our interview last week. “These individuals collectively receive roughly $4.2 million in monthly compensation while performing limited departmental functions.”
This practice, sometimes euphemistically called “organizational placement,” occurs when employees face disciplinary issues, undergo investigations, or become displaced during reorganizations. Rather than terminating employment, these individuals often remain on payroll for extended periods—sometimes years—with little oversight.
Congressional watchdogs have raised alarms about this spending pattern. Representative Virginia Foxx, who chairs the House Education Committee, provided my team with internal documents showing the problem spans multiple divisions within the department. “American taxpayers shouldn’t fund government employees who aren’t working,” she stated during a committee hearing in May. “This isn’t about politics—it’s about basic accountability.”
The issue transcends partisan lines. The practice began expanding noticeably during the Obama administration, continued through Trump’s presidency, and persists today. Department records I obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests show the number of idle employees increased by approximately 27% between 2018 and 2023.
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos acknowledged awareness of the issue during her tenure. “We attempted to address administrative inefficiencies, but civil service protections make personnel changes extraordinarily difficult,” she explained during our phone conversation. “The system often incentivizes keeping problematic employees on payroll rather than navigating termination procedures.”
Current department leadership claims they’re working to resolve these inefficiencies. “We’ve implemented a quarterly review process to identify underutilized personnel and reassign them to areas of need,” stated Education Department spokesperson Rebecca Johnson. However, internal memos suggest these reviews have resulted in minimal changes to staffing allocations.
The financial implications extend beyond salaries. The department spends approximately $870,000 annually maintaining office space, equipment, and benefits for employees with limited responsibilities, according to budget analysis provided by the American Federation of Government Employees.
“This creates a demoralizing environment for dedicated staff who carry increased workloads while watching others receive equal compensation for minimal contribution,” explained Dr. Marcus Williams, public administration professor at Georgetown University. “It’s a structural problem that requires legislative intervention beyond what any single administrator can accomplish.”
The situation reflects broader challenges within federal employment systems. Civil service protections, designed to prevent political interference, sometimes create unintended consequences when agencies need workforce flexibility. According to the Government Accountability Office, similar patterns exist across multiple federal departments, though Education ranks among the highest in percentage of underutilized personnel.
Personal observations from my years covering federal agencies suggest this issue stems from systemic dysfunction rather than deliberate mismanagement. Department supervisors I’ve interviewed describe feeling trapped between budget constraints, union agreements, and procedural requirements that make personnel changes exceptionally difficult.
Employee perspectives reveal additional complexities. “Many of us want meaningful assignments but get caught in bureaucratic limbo,” explained one department employee who requested anonymity. “After you’ve been sidelined, it becomes nearly impossible to regain substantive responsibilities, even when leadership changes.”
The financial impact appears even more troubling when considering opportunity costs. Analysis from the Office of Management and Budget indicates the funds currently allocated to underutilized personnel could support approximately 200 additional teaching positions in high-need school districts or expand educational technology programs reaching thousands of students.
Recent congressional hearings have focused attention on potential solutions. Representative Bobby Scott proposed legislation requiring agencies to report underutilized personnel quarterly and develop retraining programs. “We need transparency and accountability without undermining important worker protections,” he stated during an April budget hearing.
Department officials claim procedural improvements are underway. “We’ve established a task force specifically focused on optimizing workforce utilization,” Johnson said. Yet similar initiatives announced in 2019 and 2021 produced limited measurable results, according to inspector general reports.
As Washington debates budget priorities and education funding, this ongoing inefficiency represents millions in potential resources that could directly support American students and teachers. While complex civil service regulations won’t change overnight, increased transparency might be the first step toward ensuring tax dollars achieve their intended educational purpose.
The persistent challenge of inactive employee spending at the Education Department offers a window into the broader difficulties of government reform. Until structural changes address the underlying issues, American taxpayers will likely continue funding salaries for employees with minimal responsibilities—a situation that benefits neither public servants nor the public they’re meant to serve.
