Most of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum workers who were suddenly let go by the Trump administration this week made less than $60,000, the Herald has learned.

The five federal employees who were laid off on Tuesday following a President Trump executive order worked in admissions and in front-of-the-house roles at the historic Dorchester site.

They had all worked at the JFK Library for less than a year, and were among the probationary federal workers targeted by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Because no other JFK Library workers were trained to deal with ticketing and admissions, the library was forced to shut down on Tuesday, according to officials. The library was back open on Wednesday with employees from the director’s office staffing the front desk.

The laid-off employees’ salaries were “not funded by taxpayer dollars,” a person close to the situation at the library told the Herald.

“There was no government efficiency gained here,” the source added.

Tickets generate revenue for the library, and these admissions’ positions had been funded from tickets and events revenue.

“The revenue generated here exceeds the salaries that are paid for,” the source said.

After the five layoffs, there are now 26 total employees at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.

The JFK Library Foundation on Bluesky Wednesday shared a handwritten note from JFK.

” ‘Unless we assess fairly the actions of the past, we have no sound basis upon which to plan for the future,’ ” the foundation posted. “JFK jotted these lines about learning from and about history in 1954 (on his brother’s stationery).”

The JFK Library Foundation is the private partner to the JFK Library — a federal institution under the National Archives and Records Administration. As of 2023, there were 36 employees at the JFK Library Foundation, according to the most recent tax filing form.

Following the chaos and confusion at the library on Tuesday, the Herald took a look at the JFK Library Foundation’s financial statements from recent years.

Rachel Flor, the JFK Library Foundation executive director, took home $422,798 in total compensation in 2023, according to that year’s tax form.

The $422,798 was up from $377,028 in 2022, and $332,549 in 2021 — an increase of $90,249 over three years, which is a 27% spike.

Chief Financial Officer Doris Drummond earned $360,093 in 2023. That was up from $318,223 in 2022, and $304,667 in 2021.

And VP of Development Maura Hammer took home $320,105 in 2023. That was an increase from $286,527 in 2022, and $267,879 in 2021.

Overall in 2023, the JFK Library Foundation’s total salaries and compensation was about $4.2 million, compared to $3.9 million in 2022 and $3.3 million in 2021.

Total contributions and grants in 2023 were about $7.3 million, compared to $7.2 million in 2022 and $5.5 million in 2021.

JFK Library Foundation Executive Director Rachel Flor’s total compensation was $422,798 in 2023. (Herald graphic)

The Herald reached out to the JFK Library Foundation about the layoffs.

“The JFK Library Foundation is the private partner to the JFK Library (a federal institution under the National Archives and Records Administration), providing support for civics education and public programming,” the foundation said in a statement. “Our goal at the Foundation is to ensure that the JFK Library and its important educational programs continue to be accessible.”

The net income for the JFK Library Foundation in 2023 was $163,413. That came after a loss of $3 million in 2022. During the previous year, the net income was a positive $3.5 million.

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The JFK Library on Columbia Point in Dorchester is dedicated to the memory of the 35th president and “to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world,” its website reads.

“Located on a ten-acre park, overlooking the sea that he loved and the city that launched him to greatness, the Library stands as a vibrant tribute to the life and times of John F. Kennedy,” the site continues. “Come tour our Museum which portrays the life, leadership, and legacy of President Kennedy, conveys his enthusiasm for politics and public service, and illustrates the nature of the office of the President.”

Students and scholars can also conduct research there using its collection of historical materials chronicling mid-20th century politics and JFK’s life and administration.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is one of 16 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the Kennedy Library Foundation.

Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency team has been sweeping through federal agencies, as the Trump administration moves to lay off thousands of federal workers.

The DOGE team has roamed from agency to agency, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and searching for waste, fraud and abuse, while lawsuits pile up claiming Trump and DOGE are violating the law. At least two are targeting Musk himself.

Last week, Musk called for the U.S. to “delete entire agencies” from the federal government as part of the push to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities.

Herald wire services were used in this report.