By Angela Bauer
Jacksonville Journal-Courier, Ill.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily restore grants for teacher preparation in Illinois and seven other states that sued over the move.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was part of a coalition of eight attorneys general opposing the termination of grant funding for teacher-preparation programs.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun said Monday that the education department provided no analysis of the programs or a reasoned explanation for the cancellation.
The Trump administration said it canceled the grants because they provided funds for programs the promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or discriminate based on race.
Illinois institutions receive at least $13.4 million in grant funding intended to help address the state’s teacher shortage, according to Raoul’s office.
“Teacher preparation grants are a key tool to address the serious teacher shortage crisis that continues to affect school districts across Illinois ,” Raoul said. “The Trump administration’s shortsighted and unlawful termination of these grants would lead to larger class sizes, less one-on-one time with students and limit the ability for teachers to prepare students for their futures.”
“The Trump administration’s shortsighted and unlawful termination of these grants would lead to larger class sizes, less one-on-one time with students and limit the ability for teachers to prepare students for their futures.”
Congress established and allocated funding for grant programs to train teachers, create a teacher pipeline and improve teacher quality, according to Raoul’s office. The U.S. Department of Education then awarded grant funding to public universities, school districts and associated non-profits to help place teachers in harder-to-fill math and science jobs in rural and urban communities.
The programs have increased teacher retention rates and kept new educators on the job beyond the first five years, Raoul said.
Attorneys general in California , Colorado , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Jersey , New York and Wisconsin joined Raoul in filing the lawsuit.
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