Colorado and seven other states sued the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s “unlawful termination” of hundreds of millions of dollars that went toward teacher-training programs that largely bolster educator shortages at rural schools.
Last month, the Education Department slashed $600 million in grants that funded the training programs, alleging the money supported the types of diversity, equity and inclusion programs that have been targeted and eliminated since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
Across the country, the grants paid student teachers to gain experience in classrooms, funded scholarships for aspiring teachers, and sent teachers to workshops to learn from peers. As recipients scramble to appeal the cuts, many say they could lead to fewer well-prepared teachers in classrooms, particularly in subject areas and regions already struggling with shortages.
“I think what’s unknown at this moment is how many individuals are going to continue to go into teaching, who may just have had their scholarships disrupted,” said Kathlene Campbell, CEO of the National Center for Teacher Residencies.
On Thursday, eight Democratic state attorneys general — including Colorado’s Phil Weiser — filed a lawsuit over the cuts in U.S. District Court in Boston. Weiser joins the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin in the litigation.
“The Trump administration’s unlawful termination of critical teacher preparation grants will have devastating impacts on rural communities across the state,” Weiser said in a news release. “When schools are unable to find qualified teachers, students suffer. Teacher shortages can result in larger class sizes, canceled courses or classes staffed with teachers less able to teach a subject.”
A Department of Education spokesperson said the federal agency does not comment on pending litigation.
In Colorado, nearly $2.8 million in funding that addresses the state’s ongoing teacher shortage in rural communities is at risk, Weiser said.
On Feb. 7, the Education Department terminated grants awarded to K-12 teacher training programs in Colorado and across the country, including a $6.5 million grant the University of Colorado Denver received for its Next Generation of Teacher Preparation program.
The NxtGEN program partners with four rural community colleges — Trinidad State College, Otero College, Lamar Community College and Northeastern Junior College — and 57 rural Colorado school districts to locate, recruit and prepare teachers to graduate and stay in the their rural communities.
About $2.8 million of the grant remains unspent and at risk, Weiser said.
“The NxtGEN program has been very effective in addressing teacher shortages in Colorado,” the attorney general’s news release said.
The program graduated 19 teachers who are now working at rural K-12 schools. Nearly 80 candidates are in the pipeline preparing to follow their lead.
“There’s a huge need for teachers to instruct children in reading, writing, math and science in rural communities,” CU Denver officials said in a statement to The Denver Post. “According to Colorado Department of Education data, rural schools in Colorado had 1,028 vacant teaching positions in 2021, many of which went unfilled for most of the year. NxtGEN CO was approved in 2022 and designed to help address that gap.”
The Department of Education’s cuts will result in 21 jobs lost or reduced, an estimated 50 new teachers lost for rural school districts where teacher shortages exist, according to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.
In their lawsuit, the attorneys general argue the terminations — issued without warning and with immediate effect — violate the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. The attorneys general seek a temporary restraining order to prevent disruptions to the teaching programs.
Federal money makes up a significant portion of budgets in some rural districts, which rely more on grants and philanthropy because of their limited tax base, said Sharon Contreras, CEO of the Innovation Project, a collaboration among North Carolina school districts. A grant to that group supported teacher recruitment and retention, providing scholarships for teachers pursuing master’s degrees if they agreed to return to the area and serve as principals for three years.
“These districts struggle to attract teachers,” Contreras said. “They struggle to attract principals because they can’t compete with larger districts.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.
