HONOLULU -- The Hawaii Department of Education has told 40 employees they are being laid off, officials confirmed to KITV4 on Monday.

The layoffs are part of the DOE's effort to cut $142 million from its budget.

Officials said they tried to find other ways to cut, but they said workers are the department's biggest expense, making it unavoidable.

Most of the layoffs targeted clerical workers who are not in the schools.

DOE officials said they wanted to make the cuts to have as little of an impact as possible on the schools.

The department is working with the Hawaii Government Employees Association on the reduction in force procedures, officials said.

"Now they have their collective bargaining rights, and we're going to have meetings with the employees this week to discuss what their rights are under the collective bargaining agreement. They have a right to take other vacated positions in their department or bump someone else with less retention points," said interim superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi.

Employees leaving the Dept. of Education offices on Punchbowl Street Monday evening told KITV News they were ordered not to discuss the layoffs, but many admitted being very nervous about the cuts.

"It's been very, very hard. People are our most important asset in the department of education, so to cut personnel is a very hard thing to do," Matayoshi said.