FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
- Additional federal education funding will also be provided for charter schools and American history and civics programs.
A change in federal funding administered through the U.S. Department of Education has been approved under the Trump Administration, essentially equating to one-time additional funding for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the nation.
The change also includes some additional funds for charter schools and funding to support American history and civics programs.
Mississippi’s public HBCUs include Jackson State University, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University.
“Mississippi’s historically Black colleges and universities play a critical role in educating young people from around the state and beyond and are helping to lead the way in research and emerging technologies. Additional support for these efforts is good for the universities and those they serve,” a spokesperson for the Mississippi Institutions for Higher Learning told Magnolia Tribune about the additional funds.
No specifics on the dollar amounts for the schools were available at press time.
The first phase of the change came on September 10 when the U.S. Department of Education announced the end of “discretionary funding to several Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) grant programs that discriminate by conferring government benefits exclusively to institutions that meet racial or ethnic quotas.”
The U.S. Department of Education stated that the action follows a determination by the U.S. Solicitor General which found programs that serve Hispanic Serving Institutions are in violation of the “Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause,” violations for which the Department of Justice is not expected to defend those institutions in “ongoing litigation.”
Those, and other, issues with MSI programs have led the Education Department to reprogram millions in federal funding programs that do not have those concerns.
“Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States. To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated.
In response, the Department of Education reported that it will reallocate $350 million in funding originally set aside for Title III Parts A, B and E programs that strengthen Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Predominately Black, and Hispanic Serving Institutions, among others. However, $132 million in mandatory funds approved by Congress in Title III Part F funding for programs that strengthen the Alaskan-Hawaiin Native, Asian American, Native American, predominately Black and other programs will still be dispersed because they cannot be “reprogrammed on a statutory basis.”
Five days later, the Education Department announced where those, and other federal funds will be redirected. The agency stated that a $500 million investment will be provided for use by charter schools to support “education choice,” and another $495 million one-time investment will go to HBCUs and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
These changes in funding to HBCUs represent an increase of more than 48 percent while the funding increase to TCCUs is about 109 percent. Those funds will be provided in addition to already anticipated FY 2025 funding, the Education Department reported.
Education Secretary McMahon said the Department is making three massive investments – redirecting financial support away from ineffective and discriminatory programs toward those which support student success.
“We are proud to make the largest investment in the Charter Schools Grants Program in the Department’s history, support American history programs that will inspire young people to be active and informed citizens, and recognize Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities’ historic contributions to improving education and opportunity in our country,” said McMahon.
“In total, HBCUs will receive over $1.34 billion and TCCUs will receive over $108 million from the Department for fiscal year 2025,” the department outlined.
An additional $160 million has been set aside for American history and civics grants to promote education in those areas and to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
