Victoria Delano

I live in Birmingham, Alabama.

I live in Birmingham, Alabama.

And I worked for the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights as an equal opportunity specialist.

And I worked for the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights as an equal opportunity specialist.

My name is Victoria Delano.

My name is Victoria Delano.

I understand the need to cut fraud, waste and abuse. However, When I joined the Office for Civil Rights and I saw there were only 60 people out of my office, which covered four states, so that's 60 people doing investigations for 9,500 public K-12 schools, plus universities.

I understand the need to cut fraud, waste and abuse. However, When I joined the Office for Civil Rights and I saw there were only 60 people out of my office, which covered four states, so that's 60 people doing investigations for 9,500 public K-12 schools, plus universities.

My coworkers who were terminated were immediately, just like me, cut out of the system, cut out of having any ability to get into the case management system and assist with any transfer of those cases. Those cases are just lost in the abyss now.

My coworkers who were terminated were immediately, just like me, cut out of the system, cut out of having any ability to get into the case management system and assist with any transfer of those cases. Those cases are just lost in the abyss now.

plus museums, plus libraries, 60 people to do that much work out of my regional office, I thought, okay, the math isn't going to math here if we have fewer people. So logically, I was thinking, if anything, that needs to be expanded.

plus museums, plus libraries, 60 people to do that much work out of my regional office, I thought, okay, the math isn't going to math here if we have fewer people. So logically, I was thinking, if anything, that needs to be expanded.

surely with this being a congressionally mandated program funded by Congress, surely this is one program that won't be cut because there is no, there's no waste in there to cut.

surely with this being a congressionally mandated program funded by Congress, surely this is one program that won't be cut because there is no, there's no waste in there to cut.

And that's terribly concerning because I, for one, had at least one case where a child was not able to go to school because they were waiting on resolution of their complaint. So you multiply that over and over and over. I don't know what's happening to those cases. Nothing as far as I've heard.

And that's terribly concerning because I, for one, had at least one case where a child was not able to go to school because they were waiting on resolution of their complaint. So you multiply that over and over and over. I don't know what's happening to those cases. Nothing as far as I've heard.

This is a job that I took because I wanted to do this work, not because I had to do this work to pay my bills. This is my passion. So part of me holds out hope that... the administration will backtrack and realize, wait a minute, we need these subject matter experts in these spaces and that this absolutely is essential.

This is a job that I took because I wanted to do this work, not because I had to do this work to pay my bills. This is my passion. So part of me holds out hope that... the administration will backtrack and realize, wait a minute, we need these subject matter experts in these spaces and that this absolutely is essential.

I live in Birmingham, Alabama.

And I worked for the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights as an equal opportunity specialist.

My name is Victoria Delano.

I understand the need to cut fraud, waste and abuse. However, When I joined the Office for Civil Rights and I saw there were only 60 people out of my office, which covered four states, so that's 60 people doing investigations for 9,500 public K-12 schools, plus universities.

My coworkers who were terminated were immediately, just like me, cut out of the system, cut out of having any ability to get into the case management system and assist with any transfer of those cases. Those cases are just lost in the abyss now.

plus museums, plus libraries, 60 people to do that much work out of my regional office, I thought, okay, the math isn't going to math here if we have fewer people. So logically, I was thinking, if anything, that needs to be expanded.

surely with this being a congressionally mandated program funded by Congress, surely this is one program that won't be cut because there is no, there's no waste in there to cut.

And that's terribly concerning because I, for one, had at least one case where a child was not able to go to school because they were waiting on resolution of their complaint. So you multiply that over and over and over. I don't know what's happening to those cases. Nothing as far as I've heard.

This is a job that I took because I wanted to do this work, not because I had to do this work to pay my bills. This is my passion. So part of me holds out hope that... the administration will backtrack and realize, wait a minute, we need these subject matter experts in these spaces and that this absolutely is essential.