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Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New memo gives Maine schools 10 days to remove DEI programming or lose federal money
Apr. 3—The federal Department of Education is giving states 10 days to confirm they have ended diversity, equity and inclusion programs in school or else lose federal funding. A memo issued Thursday stems from a Feb. 14 "Dear Colleague" letter sent to state education leaders, which instructed schools to remove DEI programming to comply with both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, and the Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the 2023 case that overturned affirmative action in college admissions. In that letter, acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor wrote that the ruling can be broadly applied to any educational program that treats people differently based on race, including scholarships, financial aid, administrative support, housing and graduation ceremonies. He said the department would "vigorously enforce" that interpretation of the law, and districts that don't comply could lose federal funding. "Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right. When state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements," Trainor said Thursday. "Unfortunately, we have seen too many schools flout or outright violate these obligations, including by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another based on identity characteristics in clear violation of Title VI." The latest federal action does not target Maine specifically, and is unrelated to the Trump administration's dispute with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over transgender sports policies. Many Maine schools do have DEI programs, however. And Maine K-12 schools received $250 million in federal funds this school year. That money supports students with disabilities through the Individuals with Disabilities Act, and provides funding for economically disadvantaged students and rural schools through title funding. Districts like Lewiston and Portland receive millions to support their most vulnerable students through those federal funding sources. Chloe Teboe, a spokesperson for the Maine DOE, confirmed in an email Thursday evening that the department received the letter alongside counterparts in every state, but said the state agency "has not provided a response." Chloe Teboe, a spokesperson for the Maine DOE, confirmed in an email Thursday evening that the department received the letter alongside counterparts in every state, but said the state agency "has not provided a response." The "Dear Colleague" letter gave districts until Feb. 28 to comply, although that date seemingly came and went with no consequences. Thursday's memo gives states 10 days to sign and return a document assuring compliance with Title VI and the Harvard ruling, and requires state leaders to collect "certification responses" from local districts. In the months since Trump took office, many Maine school districts, including Portland and South Portland, have publicly affirmed their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. "We are a great district because of our diversity. It is who we are," Portland Superintendent Ryan Scallon said in a speech at a March 18 school board meeting. "Our vision and mission have not changed. We are focused on ensuring that all students leave us prepared and empowered and that requires that we provide programming that meets students' specific needs in an environment that is joyful and celebrates the diversity of our community." Trump signed an executive order March 20 to dismantle the federal Department of Education, a step toward a campaign promise to eliminate the agency entirely. The department laid off half its workforce, a move which was swiftly met with a lawsuit from 20 states, including Maine. The department is also investigating Maine over the state's transgender athletes policies, and issued a "final warning" last week after the state Department of Education declined to sign an agreement to change state policy. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA cuts programs that supply local food to schools, food banks
Mar. 12—The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled contracts with Maine — and most other states — that provided financial assistance, distributed fresh food and incentivized the purchase of locally grown food. The change comes as one in eight Mainers — about 180,000 people — faces hunger, according to data collected by the national nonprofit Feeding America. That includes roughly 45,000 children, about 20% of the state's total population under 18. In October, the USDA announced it was extending its Local Foods for Schools program, which reimbursed schools in Maine and throughout the country for purchasing local food, for another year, said Maine Department of Education spokesperson Chloe Teboe. More than 40 states participated in the program during its first — and now only — year, she said. "However, on Friday, March 7, 2025, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) received a termination notice for that agreement," Teboe wrote in an email Wednesday afternoon. Maine schools were supposed to get another $2.78 million this spring for use over the next three years, Teboe said. The school food program included $776,210 for Maine, which funded more than $120,000 in purchases from historically "underserved producers," a designation that includes farmers and ranchers who are just starting out, veterans, and those who are socially disadvantaged or who have limited resources, according to data collected by the USDA. In addition to the Local Food for Schools agreement, the USDA also terminated its Local Food Purchase Assistance program, which provided funding to states, including Maine, to purchase local food to serve feeding programs, food banks and other organizations that aid underserved populations. That program funded more than $1.4 million in purchases from 75 different producers, 74 of which were considered "underserved," according to USDA data. A USDA spokesperson said that the cancellation "isn't an abrupt shift," stating that the department released more than $500 million in previously obligated funds last week. They criticized the Biden administration for prioritizing "short-term programs with no plan for longevity." "As a pandemic-era program, LFPA will now be sunsetted at the end of the performance period, marking a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives," the spokesperson said in an email Wednesday. "The COVID era is over — USDA's approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward." The LFPA program helped improve food security in Maine while creating market opportunities for local farmers, said Jim Britt, director of communications for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. He said the department will continue advocating for policies to strengthen the local agricultural economy. "The loss of LFPA, as well as the Local Food for Schools program, funding undoubtedly presents challenges for Maine's agricultural community, which had made inroads building capacity to meet the market demand created by these programs," Britt said in a written statement. "The suddenness and timing of the decision to terminate the programs is particularly difficult given that farmers had already made 2025 crop decisions and investments." MAJOR CUTS FOR FOOD BANK Britt said the Good Shepherd Food Bank has played a key role in distributing funding and food throughout the state. But the Auburn-based food bank said the cuts would create major hurdles for its work. The canceled funding extension would have meant another $1.25 million for Maine over three years, the food bank said. "This change represents a projected loss of 500,000 to 600,000 pounds of fresh, local produce Good Shepherd Food Bank would have distributed, through its partners, to families facing food insecurity," the group said. That could mean the loss of a half-million meals, based on standards set by Feeding America. The national organization considers 1.2 pounds roughly the weight of a "meal." Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette doesn't expect the food bank will be able to fill that funding gap this year. Good Shepherd, which distributes about 40 million meals per year, is the state's only Feeding America-affiliated food bank, she said on a phone call Wednesday night. She said the group will also face cuts of at least 50% of the total food it distributes through another USDA program called The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides cases of American-grown food to participating states. Good Shepherd currently distributes approximately 500,000 pounds of food through that program each month, she said. That's about a fifth of all the food it distributes. "It's a huge piece of the work that we do," she said. "Our TEFAP has been cut by a minimum of 50%, with a lot of uncertainty beyond that." The food bank usually sees its statewide distribution increase by at least 10% each year, Paquette said. And while Maine has a robust network of nonprofits, businesses and state agencies that work together to fight hunger, planning for the future becomes extremely difficult when funding that should have been guaranteed falls through, she said. "Our donations are healthy, (but) we cannot expect them to keep pace" with need, Paquette said. "All indications from our partner agencies is that we should be expecting another significant increase (in need)." SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES EXPECTED Anna Korsen, program director at Full Plates Full Potential, said the cuts to Local Food for Schools will bring significant challenges to Maine schools and students and families who rely on school lunches. "It was this really great program, and it really worked. We saw schools purchasing more local food than we had ever seen in the past," she said. In the 2022-23 school year, prior to the federal program's launch, Maine schools spent only about $128,000 on local food, Korsen said. But that figure more than quadrupled the following year. School food budgets are already tight — usually around $4 per child, she said — making it difficult for districts to purchase high-quality ingredients and develop nourishing meals. "They're kind of forced to buy the cheapest food sometimes. So having an incentive program ... that just allows them to buy this higher-quality food, which they want to do," Korsen said. She said the cancellation of what seemed to be a settled contract was particularly troubling. "That's concerning. How was that able to happen?" Korsen said. "It feels like the rug is being pulled out from under our schools." Copy the Story Link
