Department of Defense Education Activity operates 161 schools worldwide for more than 65,000 children of U.S. service members and DOD civilians, according to its website. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
A group of current and former educators and parents has authored a sharply worded open letter warning of “troubling” staff reductions at Pentagon-run schools that they say will harm education quality for thousands of military-connected children.
Titled “An Urgent Open Letter to Parents of DoDEA Students,” the document alleges that special education assessors and educational technologists are being eliminated at Department of Defense Education Activity schools worldwide.
“This is unacceptable for a system tasked with delivering excellence for military families,” says the letter, a copy of which was provided to Stars and Stripes by a DODEA employee in Japan who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
The employee is among about 20 teachers, administrators and parents behind the letter who also wish to remain anonymous. The group includes at least two special education assessors and one educational technologist who were informed via email late last week that their positions are being cut, the employee said.
DODEA operates 161 schools worldwide for more than 65,000 children of U.S. service members and DOD civilians, according to its website. Its mission is to provide an education “comparable to that of high-performing public school systems” — a standard the letter says is now under threat.
More than 100 educational technologists are affected, the employee said. These staffers are responsible for managing student computer accounts, assisting teachers with platforms like Google Classroom, and supporting database development and research.
“Every student has a computer,” the employee said. “[These technologists] are vital to the operation of a school.”
The employee also said each military installation with DODEA schools has at least four special education assessors, all of whom are being let go. They provide assessments in areas such as speech, reading and math.
“Without them, students with special needs will lose vital support, jeopardizing their academic and personal growth,” the letter says.
The letter follows a report released by the Government Accountability Office in April that found high turnover among special education personnel had led to significant delays in the delivery of those services at 44 of DODEA’s 114 overseas schools during the 2022–23 school year.
One office assistant position at each school is also being eliminated, according to the employee, who called the cuts an “absolute shock.”
Termination emails offered options such as early retirement, retirement with incentive pay, or possible reassignment based on certification, according to the employee.
The letter also accuses DODEA leadership of making decisions “under the cover of darkness,” citing previous actions such as the elimination of middle school sports programs as evidence of a trend toward reducing student services without parental input.
The authors say DODEA interpreted a DOD workforce reduction directive in a way that disproportionately impacts schools, even though the guidance was not intended to affect student-facing services.
“We believe these cuts prioritize the job security of Headquarters and Regional Leaders over the needs of our students,” the letter says.
The authors urged parents to contact school administrators, district officials, congressional representatives and DOD leaders. The letter suggests questions for families to ask, such as how eliminated services will be replaced and why parents were not consulted.
The employee also called on parents to elevate concerns through their chains of command.
“We are absolutely fed up,” the employee said. “This is a call to arms, per se.”
