Lake County school officials mulling future of DEI programs; ‘We are poised to pivot when needed'
A recent exchange of letters between the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and Illinois Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders has some Lake County educators wondering how to continue or implement programs aimed at helping students from low-income families.
At the heart of the exchange is President Donald Trump's desire to withhold funding from school districts with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which local educators believe give all children an equal opportunity to succeed.
At risk for running afoul of federal policies is the loss of millions of dollars in Title I money from the U.S. government, which is given to schools with large populations of low-income families like Waukegan, North Chicago and the Round Lake area.
John Price, the superintendent of North Chicago School District 187, said the quandary has prompted the district to stall the implementation of a Black Excellence program designed to help a particular student group that does not perform as well as others on certain standardized tests.
'We've had to hold off on this new initiative,' Price said. 'Our mission is for every student to be able to write their own story of success. This has to get resolved before we can serve all of our students well.'
Officials at schools receiving Title I funding in Lake County remain nervous but encouraged after Sanders told the DOE in a letter Thursday the state has provided the 'requisite guarantee' all districts in Illinois comply with federal law.
In addition to showing test results for all students in each district, the Illinois State Board of Education's annual school report card lists them for Black, Hispanic, diverse and English language learners, Price said.
'The state purposely disaggregates different student groups like those in special education or diverse learners,' he said. 'This gives us a chance to see who may need more support.'
District 1987 received just under $2 million in Title I funding for the current school year. Price said it was used to support student programs and personnel working with them, which fostered academic growth and community engagement. Loss of the money means a reduction in the plan.
Price said the relationship with federal funding is much bigger in large part because of the number of families from Naval Station Great Lakes whose children go to school there. The U.S. government provides approximately $12,000 a student in impact aid since no property tax revenue is generated from the naval base property.
Every school in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 qualifies for Title I funding. Gwen Polk, the associate superintendent for business and financial services, said the district received $7.1 million for the 2023-2024 school year and has budgeted $7.8 million this term.
'The money goes to academic programs which will help improve student performance,' Polk said. 'It is used to help close achievement gaps which exist.'
Though the money is in the budget to help the students, Polk said no changes are necessary at this point. If the federal government does stop distributing the funds because the money will no longer go to the state for distribution to the entitled school districts, Waukegan will adjust, she said.
'We are poised to pivot when needed,' Polk said. 'We see where we may go and what resources we can use. As of now, we have no indication the funding is at risk.'
District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said in an email that educators like those in the district are responsible for assuring that students feel safe and are 'empowered to succeed' in 'a supporting learning environment.'
'We remain focused on meeting the individual needs of each student,' Plascencia said. 'We continue to explore how we can maintain programs that serve students who may need additional support so that every child has the opportunity and resources to thrive.'
In its letter received by Sanders, the DOE, asked him to certify that all school districts in the state are in compliance with the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the 'grounds of race, color or national origin.'
Using DEI 'programs to the advantage of one race over another is impermissible,' according to the DOE letter. The DOE said, 'Use of DEI programs can violate federal law.'
Writing in his response that no specific examples of how DEI programs may violate federal law are outlined in the letter, Sanders said it is also an 'abrupt shift from previous positions' on DEI from the first Trump administration. The letter itself violates federal law, he wrote.
'We are concerned that USDOE seemingly seeks to change the terms and conditions of the Illinois State Board of Education's award without formal administrative process,' Sanders wrote. 'USDOE cannot make changes to legal assurances and impose new requirements on recipients without adhering to rulemaking procedures.'
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