Press Release: 2025-03-12 00:00:00
AG Campbell Secures Temporary Block Of Trump Administration's Unlawful Termination Of K-12 Teacher Preparation Grants
District Court Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order to Block Funding Cuts to Programs That Address Teacher Shortages in Springfield, Holyoke, and Boston
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
3/11/2025
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Sabrina Zafar , Deputy Press Secretary
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Call Sabrina Zafar , Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543
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Email Sabrina Zafar , Deputy Press Secretary at Sabrina.Zafar2@mass.gov
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and a coalition of seven other attorneys general have secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, temporarily blocking the Trump Administration’s unlawful termination of K-12 teacher preparation pipeline grants. The order temporarily reinstates hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to programs across the country, including more than $6 million in funding to Massachusetts-based programs designed to address the ongoing shortage of licensed teachers in school districts in Springfield, Holyoke, and Boston.
AG Campbell co-led the coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the termination of these grant funds last week. The coalition now seeks a preliminary injunction to block the Trump Administration’s termination of funds while the lawsuit proceeds and until a final court decision is made.
“This order is a victory for our students, teachers and school districts, restoring funds to programs designed to address the ongoing teacher shortage in the Commonwealth, including those serving vulnerable students with special needs,” said AG Campbell. “As our lawsuit proceeds, I will continue to stand with and advocate for our students, teachers, and school districts as they work to increase the number of high-quality educators in our state and ensure our children thrive.”
Beginning on February 7, 2025, the Department of Education abruptly terminated hundreds of millions of dollars in grants funded through the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development programs. These programs were authorized by Congress to provide grants to teacher preparation programs nationwide, helping to address the country’s teacher shortage by creating pipelines for non-teachers to become high-quality licensed teachers. Teacher preparation programs are specifically designed to support rural and urban communities and harder-to-fill subject areas, such as math, science and special education. The programs have been shown to increase teacher retention rates and ensure that educators remain in the profession beyond the crucial first five years.
The Massachusetts-based teacher preparation programs impacted by the Department’s funding include the University of Massachusetts’ “Para to Teacher Program,” which intends to use the Department’s funds to help address the significant shortage of licensed early childhood educators in the Springfield and Holyoke public school districts, where a large proportion of the student population has high needs.
Additionally, one of the Boston Public Schools’ “Teacher Pipeline Programs” relies on the Department’s funds to help meet the district’s growing need for multilingual and special education teachers. The Administration’s funding cuts have put at risk at least three full-time positions funded through one of the Department’s grants, endangering a teacher residency program designed for BPS bilingual paraeducators to earn advanced degrees and become licensed teachers.
In 2024, more than 400,000 teaching positions in the U.S., representing about one in eight of all teaching positions nationwide, were vacant or filled by uncertified teachers. Teacher shortages can lead to significant harm to students’ education, as they often result in larger class sizes, cancelled courses, classes staffed with teachers less able to teach a subject, and more.
The lawsuit, co-led by AG Campbell, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, was joined by the attorneys general of Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin.