$600 Million in Teacher Grants Survive as Judge Blocks DEI Cuts
September 26, 2026 · Frisian News
A federal judge struck down the Education Department's 2025 directive that canceled $600 million in teacher-training grants, ruling the policy violated federal administrative law and lacked any coherent criteria for identifying DEI programs.
$600 million in federal teacher-training grants cannot be canceled on DEI grounds, a federal judge ruled Thursday, blocking a directive that had already wiped out more than 90 percent of awards under two programs that fund K-12 teacher preparation.
U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley struck down the Education Department's February 2025 directive, finding it violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The directive had canceled 109 grants across the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development programs, which together cover the training pipeline for classroom teachers nationwide. Kelley, appointed by President Joe Biden, ruled the policy "arbitrary and capricious," writing that the department had no discernible criteria for deciding which programs counted as DEI, according to Hoodline's report on the ruling.
Eight states brought the suit: California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin. They argued that thousands of teachers' salaries ran through the grants and that cutting the money would deepen the nationwide teacher shortage, according to Hoodline. Kelley agreed, writing that thousands of teachers and those in training pipelines would be affected. The agency gave no notice and accepted no public comments before pulling the funding, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The department said the grants had funded "divisive ideologies," including DEI, antiracism, social justice activism, and instruction on white privilege and white supremacy. Asked by Inside Higher Ed for comment, press secretary Savannah Newhouse wrote: "Taxpayer dollars should support preparing teachers for meaningful student learning, expanding the pipeline of high-quality teachers and retaining top talent, not funding divisive ideology or racial preferences." Kelley's ruling found no evidence the department had applied those terms consistently before canceling grants.
Among the 109 terminated awards were 40 grants to universities and institutions across the eight plaintiff states, as court filings cited by Hoodline show. Programs the states described included training teachers in second languages, recruiting educators to high-poverty schools, and meeting special education requirements.
The financial impact reached beyond state governments. The National Center for Teacher Residencies told K-12 Dive, as cited by Hoodline, that the cuts cost it nearly $1.2 million, affecting 128 teacher residents already enrolled across 13 programs and blocking 190 more from starting.
The case has already reached the Supreme Court once. In April 2025, the court's 6-3 conservative majority allowed the administration to continue canceling grants while litigation proceeded, putting a lower-court reinstatement order on hold, according to CNBC as cited by Hoodline. At that point, roughly $65 million in grant payments remained outstanding.
Kelley's ruling does not hand back any money. She wrote that grantees seeking to recover lost funds must proceed through the Court of Federal Claims, not her court. Her authority extended only to whether the directive complied with administrative law, and it did not.
The Education Department did not immediately respond to the Charlotte Observer's request for comment on the ruling, according to Hoodline. The $600 million remains unrecovered, and the fight moves to another court.
Frysk$600 miljoen oan federale beurzen foar learaarsoplieding kinne net annulearre wurde op basis fan DEI-grûnen, sa oardeele in federale rjochter tongersdei, dy't in direktive blokkearre dy't al mear as 90 prosint fan de beurzen ûnder twa programma's wiske hie dy't de K-12-learaarsoplieding lanlik finansierje.
Federaal distriktsrjochter Angel Kelley seach de direktive fan it Underwiisministearje fan febrewaris 2025 del, en fûn dat dizze it Administrative Procedure Act skeinde. De direktive hie 109 beurzen annulearre ûnder de Teacher Quality Partnership en de Supporting Effective Educator Development-programma's, dy't mei-inoar it hiele opliedingstrajekt foar klasseleararen lanlik dekke. Kelley, beneamd troch presidint Joe Biden, oardeele dat it belied "willekeurich en grillich" wie, en skreau dat it ministearje gjin dúdlik kritearium hie om te bepalen hokker programma's as DEI telden, neffens it ferslach fan Hoodline oer de útspraak.
Acht steaten stapten nei de rjochter: Kalifornje, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York en Wisconsin. Se bewearden dat de salarissen fan tûzenen leararen troch de beurzen rûnen en dat it skoatten fan it jild de lanlike tekoart oan leararen fergrutsje soe, neffens Hoodline. Kelley wie it dêrmei iens en skreau dat tûzenen leararen en dyjingen yn opliedingstrajecten troffen wurde soene. It departemint joech gjin warskôging en akseptearre gjin iepenbiere reaksjes foardat it de finansiering annulearre, sa rapporteare Inside Higher Ed.
It departemint sei dat de beurzen "ferdieljende ideologyen" finansiearre hiene, wêrûnder DEI, antirasisisme, aktivisme foar sosjale gerjochtichheid, en ûnderwiis oer wite privileezje en wite supremasy. Frege om kommentaar troch Inside Higher Ed skreau parsesekretaris Savannah Newhouse: "Belestingjild soe it oplieden fan leararen foar betsjuttingsfolle learûnderwiis stypje moatte, it útbriedzjen fan de pipeline fan kwaliteitsleararen en it behâlden fan top-talent, net it finansieren fan ferdieljende ideology of rasiale foarkarren." De útspraak fan Kelley fûn gjin bewiis dat it departemint dy termen konsekwint tapasse hie foardat it de beurzen annulearre.
Fan de 109 beëinige beurzen giene 40 nei universiteiten en ynstellingen yn de acht easkjende steaten, sa blike út rjochtbankstikken oanheald troch Hoodline. De programma's dy't de steaten omskreaune omfetten it oplieden fan leararen yn twadde talen, it rekrutearjen fan underwiisers foar skoallen yn earmere gebieten, en it foldwaan oan easken foar spesjaal ûnderwiis.
It finansjele effekt rikt fierder as de steatregeringen. It National Center for Teacher Residencies fertelde K-12 Dive, oanheald troch Hoodline, dat de koartingen harren hast $1,2 miljoen kosten, wat 128 learaarsstazjêrs troffen hie dy't al ynskreaun wiene yn 13 programma's, en 190 mear it begjin blokkeare.
De saak hat it Supream Court al ienris berikt. Yn april 2025 stie de 6-3 konservative mearderheid fan it hôf de administraasje ta troch te gean mei it annulearjen fan beurzen wylst de rjochtsaak rûn, en sette in herynstellingsoarder fan in leger hôf yn 'e wacht, neffens CNBC oanheald troch Hoodline. Op dat punt wie der noch sa'n $65 miljoen oan beursbetellingen útsteand.
De útspraak fan Kelley jout gjin jild werom. Se skreau dat beursûntfangers dy't ferlearen jild weromhelje wolle, troch it Court of Federal Claims gean moatte, net har hôf. Har befoegdheid rikt allinnich ta de fraach oft de direktive it bestjoersrjocht neikomt, en de direktive die dat net.
It Underwiisministearje reagearre net fuortendaliks op it fersyk om kommentaar fan de Charlotte Observer oer de útspraak, neffens Hoodline. De $600 miljoen bliuwt net weromhelle, en de striid ferpleatst him nei in oar hôf.
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Published September 26, 2026 · Frisian News