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WASHINGTON 鈥� Suitcases and large cardboard boxes rolled across the pavement outside the Department of Education鈥檚 offices this week as recently fired federal workers packed up their desks.

Waiting outside, workers were greeted with claps, cheers and whistles as they emerged from the buildings, some raising their fists in defiance. Colleagues embraced, sharing quiet words or simply holding on. Signs with various messages floated above the crowd, most thanking the workers for their public service.

What began on Wednesday as a smaller 鈥渃lap out鈥� outside the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), home to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) offices, grew into a larger demonstration by Friday. Fired employees gathered at department headquarters, joined by advocates rallying in solidarity.

About two weeks ago, workers in the 4,200-employee department began to hear rumblings of a large round of layoffs aimed at reducing the workforce by 50%. Some employees opted for early buyouts, while others took early retirements.

Another 1,300 employees were subject to 鈥渞eduction in force鈥� notices, according to Nikki Churchwell, a Calvert County resident who worked at the Office of Performance and Improvement, and Kaitlyn Vitez, of Alexandria, Virginia, from the Office of Communications and Outreach.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management lays out specific procedures for downsizing, which include ranking employees based on seniority and performance. However, Churchwell said the administration altered the way competitive areas were identified to bypass this process.

Veronica Greene, 56, a nearly retired worker, made her way down the path outside the OSSE, her belongings packed into two cardboard boxes stacked on a dolly. A security guard and another man, also carrying boxes, helped guide the load.

A car pulled up to the corner of the building, its windows down. A man and a woman inside waved and clapped in support. With teary eyes, Greene said, 鈥淭hese are my colleagues.鈥�

鈥淲e party hard. We love each other. It鈥檚 hard to see these people leave because I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檒l ever see them again, 鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome I might, but a lot I might not.鈥�

Greene said that she planned to retire, but this departure was not on her own terms. In just 15 to 20 minutes, the place she had considered home for decades was reduced to two boxes, after dedicating her life to student aid and loan services since 1991.

Her days were spent answering phones and sorting through mail, but it was in her office in meetings, where she said she witnessed the dedication of her colleagues.

Kelisa Wing, of Virginia, a former employee with the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the department, was escorted to her workstation around 9 a.m. on Friday with just 30 minutes to pack up her belongings.

As she moved through the office, she noticed Homeland Security personnel monitoring the building. By 11 a.m., the walls of her workspace, once decorated with family photos, potted plants and an image of Martin Luther King Jr. from the night before his assassination, were bare.

Everything had been carefully placed into a sleek black suitcase with a box stacked on top.

鈥淎ll I ever wanted to be was an English teacher and look what God did, because of education,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ducation saved my opportunities, so that鈥檚 what they want to take away.鈥�

Though for Wing, the moment was bittersweet. The abrupt departure offered a sense of closure, giving her the chance to say a proper goodbye to colleagues she had worked alongside for years.

鈥淭his is an assault on public education, because people know that education is the great equalizer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is the way that a student, a person like me, who came from nothing from Toledo, Ohio, from nothing, can end up working in a place like this.鈥�

Supporters gathered with former employees, holding signs of solidarity. One sign, adorned with Cookie Monster, read: Thank you! Gracias! Merci! Salamat!

Tony Sarmiento, a retired worker from Silver Spring who has attended 21 demonstrations in support of federal employees since the new administration took office, stood beside Greene, snapping photos and helping her with her belongings.

He said firings like these often led to deep emotional struggles, with laid-off workers battling depression and self-blame.

鈥淪o, even with the completely irrational, cruel way these closings are happening,鈥� he said, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a phenomenon where workers are so depressed, they aren鈥檛 going to blame the right person.鈥�

Bill Bimber, a retired science and technology high school teacher with 34 years of experience in Northern Virginia schools, spent many years without computers to teach his students computer repair. If it weren鈥檛 for funding programs created by the Department of Education, he said, he may never have received computers to teach his class.

Bimber expressed his concerns that if the department is experiencing massive layoffs, programs like this that provide equipment and materials to students may no longer get off the ground.

鈥淚 know how programs from this agency, this department, have affected schools over the years, and it鈥檚 largely invisible, but it鈥檚 huge,鈥� Bimber said. 鈥淚t really is enormous what they do.鈥�

Dressed in a Department of Education graphic T-shirt Jackie Murray approached her firing with grace 鈥� after 40 years in communications and outreach 鈥� with a positive outlook on her future. After being placed on administrative leave more than two months ago, the popular Murray bounced around the outside of the building with a smile and laughter.

She responded to a question about her next steps, saying, 鈥淢y mouth moves a lot, so it needs to get paid because it has to eat, you know.鈥�

For her, a support system of girlfriends, music and Scripture was key during moments like this that felt shared by many federal workers across the Washington region.

鈥淔ind you a support group that has accepted this, because there are still individuals, um, that I know who have not fully accepted this,鈥� she added, offering advice to those in her situation.

In the coming days, there will be debates about what form the department should take and how programs should be implemented, Vitez said.

鈥淎t the end of the day, we need to do what鈥檚 best for schools 鈥� and for students and provide them the most resources and support to get the job done,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd people need more support, not less.鈥�

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