The U.S. Department of Education notified Congress that it plans to dissolve the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), which oversees federal programs for more than 5 million English learners. In a Feb. 13 letter to lawmakers obtained by Education Week, officials said OELA’s duties would be redelegated to other offices, eliminating the need for a standalone unit. OELA administers the Title III grant program—worth about $890 million—and related professional development grants and educator resources. The notice follows a year in which OELA’s staffing was largely dismissed and federally funded services for English learners were scaled back. Assistant Secretary Kirsten Baesler said the shift aligns with returning education “to the states,” and cited a policy goal that English learners should not be treated as siloed. The 90-day notice period tied to the Department of Education Organization Act would expire next month.