President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in education has left many schools uncertain about their future, following the recent distribution of a letter threatening to strip federal funding from schools with unlawful race-based programming.
While local schools appear unaffected, they remain on edge, bracing for what comes next.
On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter to federally funded schools, signaling the new administration’s intent to classify diversity, equity and inclusion programs as racially discriminatory – and therefore illegal.
Last week, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction blocking Trump’s efforts to alter or terminate federal contracts tied to equity initiatives. While that decision offers schools a brief reprieve, uncertainty continues to grow as the future of their funding remains unclear.
“I think because of the uncertainty, there’s worry … it has certainly caused a lot of stress for folks,” said Chato Hazelbaker, president of Pueblo Community College.
One example: Pueblo Community College is a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution, a designation passed into law by Congress, Hazelbaker said. And although the college does not receive any federal grant money for diversity programming, its employees do participate in conferences and training for HSIs.
“It’s an example of the uncertainty,” he said. “What is the impact of the ‘Dear Colleague’ letter on Hispanic-serving institutions? Are there activities that we have employees taking advantage of that down the road will not be allowed?”
At Fort Lewis College, more than half the student population has minority status. In recent years the school has massively expanded programs that promote the success of minority students, who have traditionally been at a greater educational disadvantage than their peers.
FLC has a dedicated diversity program that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across campus and supports organizations like the Native American Center and the Black Student Resource Center.
“I think there’s a lot of confusion as to what programs might be affected in general, because so many things have been coming fast and furious,” said Nardy Bickel, spokeswoman for the college.
The letter’s broad-strokes request to remove race-based “institutional programming” brings into question the fate of those programs, but Bickel said without further clarification, the college has no plans to change anything.
“We're confident that Fort Lewis College complies with the law currently, but we’ll be reviewing our policies as those rules change to make sure that we continue to comply,” she said.
The letter itself says it “does not have the force and effect of law” and does not “create new legal standards.”
It only serves to inform the academic community as to how the Trump administration interprets existing anti-discrimination law – citing the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – and gives schools a 14-day deadline to comply or risk losing funding.
The Supreme Court’s decision in 2023 determined that race-based admission policies were unconstitutional, forcing countless colleges and universities to alter their admissions and scholarship policies to ensure legal compliance.
Hazelbaker said the school reevaluated its policies following that ruling.
The “Dear Colleague” letter forced PCC to comb through its admissions and scholarship policies once again, he said, but there was nothing to change as a direct response.
The Colorado Community College System, a network of 13 institutions across Colorado, had its legal team review the letter to ensure the organization is operating in accordance with the law, said Pam Parker, a CCCS spokeswoman.
“In the case of this letter, there are no legal issues, and, therefore, no guidance to recommend,” she said.
The CCCS is not sounding any alarms or advising colleges to change anything, she said. It is assisting organizations as they have questions.
“Don’t act hastily. Don’t change things right away. Don’t cancel things right away,” is the advice Hazelbaker has received so far from CCCS.
“We're taking a wait-and-see approach to see how this actually is implemented,” he said.
Institutions of higher education were not the only targets of the letter. Public school districts also received it.
In Colorado, federal dollars compose only a small amount of public school funding. Over the 2021-22 school year, 10.5% of funding came from the federal government. Allocated on a per-student basis, Colorado received 31.1% less money per student than other states.
While not the primary source of funding, losing even a small portion of that money poses a serious threat to school districts like Durango School District 9-R, which already has cramped budgets.
It is unclear how public schools – free and open to all students – would be in violation of the law cited in the “Dear Colleague” letter. Durango School District was hesitant to comment.
In a brief statement, Superintendent Karen Cheser acknowledged the existence of the letter and said leadership would be monitoring the situation but was unable to elaborate further.
“We remain deeply committed to the success and well-being of all our students, regardless of their background,” Cheser said.
Over the 2023-24 school year, the district spent $67.85 million from the general fund, which was used to fund core operating expenses like salaries, utilities and materials, said Karla Sluis, spokeswoman for 9-R.
In 2024, federal funding accounted for an additional $7.33 million for programs such as the food service program, student support services and the consolidated Title programs, Sluis said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
