A federal judge on Monday evening ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate some of the grant funding for teacher-preparation programs that the U.S. Department of Education terminated last month—but nearly a day later, it remains to be seen whether the federal government has moved to restore the money.
This week’s temporary order affected federal grant funding awarded to teacher-preparation efforts in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin.
Programs in those states that had received federal grant money in recent years through the competitive Seeking Effective Educator Development (SEED) and Teacher Quality Partnerships (TQP) programs must have access to their funds for at least 14 days while the court considers the case in detail, U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun wrote in a March 10 order.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it wasn’t clear whether affected programs had regained access to their money.
Amanda Winkelsas, director of the teacher-residency program at the University at Buffalo, told Education Week on Tuesday afternoon that her program’s grant funding status remains the same as before the court order.
She hasn’t heard anything different from fellow grant recipients across the country. “There are a lots of communication channels where we’re connected, so I think we’d all share that news pretty quickly if that were the case,” she said.
The grant funds for Winkelsas’ program are currently listed in the online payment platform as “route pay,” which means the program can’t receive reimbursements without a federal program official approving individual requests.
Her program—which received $7.6 million combined from SEED and TQP grants—still hasn’t received reimbursement for expenses it incurred prior to the grant termination, she said.
The Cook County school district in Illinois hasn’t received news from the Education Department either that its TQP funds have been restored, said Jon Baricovich, the district’s director of bilingual education and ESL programs. The Education Department in 2023 awarded the district a five-year TQP grant worth $3.8 million for preparing 300 teachers for classroom roles in schools with low achievement scores and large shares of students of color.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education couldn’t be reached for comment in time for publication.
Trump administration has cut dozens of federal education grants
The Trump administration in February terminated contracts for dozens of grants awarded in recent years for the purpose of expanding the teacher pipeline and preparing new educators for the workforce. The administration and its unofficial Department of Government Efficiency led by Trump adviser Elon Musk said they excised those grants and others as part of their sweeping effort to slash federal spending, particularly on priorities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Eight state attorneys general—all Democrats—on March 6 sued the federal government seeking to reinstate SEED and TQP grants awarded to organizations in their states. Assuming the administration complies with the court ruling, the temporary restraining order gives grant recipients two weeks to spend money—including to pay staffers and cover tuition costs—according to the budgets they had previously laid out.
“Today’s decision is a crucial early victory to ensure these grant dollars continue to flow and our kids get the passionate, qualified, good teachers they deserve,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press release on March 10.
Both of the grant programs covered in the states’ teacher-preparation lawsuit have been enshrined in federal education law for decades. The terminations have led hundreds of college students and current educators to wonder whether their tuition assistance will be cut off, and has prompted some teacher-preparation programs to consider scaling back programming, laying off staff, or shutting down altogether.
The administration’s justification for cutting the grants amounted to “no explanation at all,” the judge wrote in the temporary restraining order: “The record reflects that there was no individualized analysis of any of the programs; rather, it appears that all TQP and SEED grants were simply terminated.”
Legal challenges to Trump’s approach to federal funding pile up
Monday’s ruling marks the latest in a string of legal setbacks for the Trump administration’s efforts to assert more aggressive executive branch control over federal funding. Judges in recent weeks have ordered the Trump White House to halt efforts to freeze federal spending nationwide; suspend funding for climate-related initiatives approved during the Biden administration; and terminate equity-related grants or contracts.
It’s unclear what will happen for programs in the rest of the country that saw federal grant cuts. A different federal judge has set a hearing date of March 13 to consider a similar lawsuit filed March 3 by three groups representing teacher education programs.
Those plaintiffs are seeking reinstatement of funding for grant recipients nationwide, and their case also includes a third grant program that the states’ lawsuit doesn’t mention—the Teacher and School Leader Incentive grant program. The termination of those funds could cost some current educators promised bonus payments or even their jobs, Education Week reported last week.
The plaintiffs in that case are seeking a nationwide injunction on the grant terminations, which would essentially require reinstatement of funds until the court finishes the case.
2025-03-11 20:56:23
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