Why should Delaware care?
Federal education funds account for 10% of the Delaware Department of Education’s revenue. Last week, states were told they have 10 days to certify that their public schools do not incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Gov. Matt Meyer has yet to give a clear stance on whether Delaware will protect its DEI initiatives or comply with the certification.
Last week, the Trump Administration sent letters to state governments with a directive that they certify that their public schools do not have programs that federal officials classify as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The letter, which asserted that DEI programs violate federal law, further said that a failure to eliminate such initiatives would result in states losing federal education dollars. The Trump Administration gave state governments 10 days to comply — a deadline that later was extended.
In the days since, most states have refrained from commenting publicly on the striking demand. Exceptions include Minnesota and New York, which have said they would not comply.
Delaware’s governor, meanwhile, has not made his stance clear, despite repeated questions from Spotlight Delaware, and hundreds of millions of federal dollars at stake for the state’s public schools.
During a state educator’s union rally on Saturday, Gov. Matt Meyer gave an odd response when asked by Spotlight Delaware whether his administration would comply with the demand, or whether it would rebuff the president and preserve initiatives seen as falling within the bounds of DEI.
In response, Meyer said, “No, we’re done with daddy’s equity interest. We gotta get that out of there.”
The comment – an apparent joke – applied a new terminology to the DEI acronym.
“We’re gonna treat everyone in our schools with respect. We’re gonna protect the most vulnerable, and we’re gonna do it anyway we can,” Meyer further stated.
In the subsequent days, Spotlight Delaware followed up with the governor’s office seeking clarity on the statement. His staff did not share new comments.
Federal dollars a ‘privilege’?
The Trump Administration’s ultimatum is the latest federal offensive that takes aim at DEI programs across state and federal governments.
It began the date of the inauguration earlier this year when President Donald Trump issued an executive order that sought to terminate all DEI offices and positions across the federal government.
It continued in February when the U.S. Department of Education launched a website that would allow individuals to submit complaints about what federal officials described as “discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools.”
Now, the federal government’s latest effort could have the biggest impact on Delaware society.
More than $335 million flowed from the federal government to Delaware schools during the previous fiscal year, and a roughly equal amount is expected for this year.
It is money that largely funds low-income schools, career and technical education programs, and schools with high numbers of students with disabilities.
The Trump Administration letter last week also follows previous threats to drastically cut education funding. Most notably, the president signed an executive order last month seeking to dismantle the federal Department of Education.
In a statement issued last week, Craig Trainor, a U.S. Department of Education deputy assistant secretary, said that “federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right.” He further argued that public schools have used DEI programs to “discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another.”
The U.S. Department of Education did not respond to a request from Spotlight Delaware asking for the total amount of federal dollars that could be cut for Delaware.
In response to requests from the Associated Press, a federal education spokesman said the federal department is “simply asking school districts to certify they are following the law and not using race preferences or pernicious race stereotypes in schools.”
But opponents of the Trump Administration have questioned whether the federal government even has the authority to demand that states follow its interpretation of laws and how they apply to DEI.
In a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Education, a New York education official asserted that the Trump Administration wants to “censor anything it seems diversity, equity & inclusion.”
“But there are no federal or State laws prohibiting the principles of DEI,” said the official, Daniel Morton-Bentley, as reported by the Associated Press.
