Trump versus the NYS Board of Regents

On January 20th the scepter and orb were transferred to Trump and the early theme of the era of Trump 2.0 is off and running: retribution 

Executive Orders flew out of the White House, institutionalizing a host of MAGA favorites, among them a major theme of the Trump campaign, opposing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, beginning by suspending/eliminating all DEI programs under the auspices  of the federal government.

The NYS Board of Regents, under the leadership of Chancellor Lester Young and Commissioner Betty Rosa are vocal advocates of DEI initiatives and have urged school districts throughout the state to support DEI efforts locally. 

Additionally NYC’s Men Teach program encourages students of color already enrolled in CUNY to seek teacher certification. If the funding is fed dollars the program may be discontinued.

Will the federal Department of Education seek to prohibit DEI programs in states?

Of course, the Department of Education may not survive, the Department may be disbanded and roles assigned to other government departments. See a detailed analysis of the current  Education Department. here  

While the  10th amendment to the Constitution states powers not mentioned in the Constitution are “reserved for the states,” since the creation of the Department of Education in 1980 the Feds role has expanded, from Title 1 funding to monitoring civil rights issues.  
It has become commonplace for ED to send “Dear Colleague” letters to state commissioners re a perceived violation of law or regulations and asking for compliance efforts. And, with an implied threat to suspect federal dollars. 

We’re only a week into Trump’s four years, the cabinet appointee has been nominated and is awaiting Senate confirmation, will she act aggressively to change long existing policies? namely, DEI policies at the state level?

In NYC the student body is 85% Black And Hispanic and the teachers 42% (2021), the percentage of Black/Hispanic teachers is increasing every year as graduates of CUNY colleges are increasingly Black/Hispanic, at the state percentages if Black/Hispanic teachers considerably lower

Encouraging Black and Hispanic college students to enter the teaching profession is challenging, the attacks on teachers is a disincentive, see “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow,” a Mulgrew chaired national report.here  

My scribblings are only conjecture, Trump threatened tariffs on day 1, so far, cooler heads  may have prevailed. 

The opposition to DEI was at the core of Trump’s presidential campaign: why back away? R
Meanwhile, attacking public schools and teacher unions is high on the retribution list. It would be nice if the UFT had one voice, the opposition caucuses still see a teacher strike at the top of their agenda, incredible. 

Trump and Elon must be applauding.

Life goes on, the legislature is in session with major education issues, at the top of the list, the outdated state foundation aid formula, and, “Fixing Tier 6, with a governor already campaigning for possibly a primary in June, 2026, and definitely a well-funded Republican in November. Mulgrew and his band of brothers (and sisters) understand the Albany “game,” and,  they excel. In the times of crisis.