Aireane Montgomery is the president and CEO of Georgia Educators for Equity and Justice, an organization that advocates for, develops, and serves Black Educators. You can contact her at aireane@gaeej.org.

In yet another gutting of public education, the federal government has slashed funding for university-based teacher residency programs, particularly those with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) components. In February, the U.S. Department of Education announced it  “terminated over $600 million in grants to institutions and nonprofits that were using taxpayer funds to train teachers and education agencies on divisive ideologies.” The consequences of this decision will be far-reaching, particularly for the Black teacher pipeline, alternative certification pathways, and the students in high-need districts who depend on having trained, committed educators in their classrooms.

For decades, teacher residency programs have served as a critical pathway for Black educators entering the profession, primarily through alternative certification. Unlike traditional teacher preparation programs, residency programs allow candidates, many of whom are already working in schools as paraprofessionals or support staff, to earn certification while receiving hands-on training and mentorship.

This model is essential for diversifying the teacher workforce, as Black educators disproportionately enter teaching through nontraditional routes due to systemic barriers in higher education. This legislative session saw the introduction of Senate Bill 120, a bill senators aim at barring schools in the University System of Georgia and Georgia’s technical college system from “promot[ing], support[ing] or maintain[ing] any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond upholding the equal protection laws guaranteed by the 14th amendment.”

During the final week of Black History Month, the legislative Committee for Higher Education heard public testimony on the bill, with teachers, educators, advocates, and students speaking against the dangers of censoring diversity in postsecondary education.

With these funding and curriculum cuts, we are witnessing the deliberate dismantling of one of the most effective strategies for addressing teacher shortages and improving educational outcomes for Black and marginalized students. The data is explicit: having at least one Black teacher significantly improves Black student achievement and long-term success.

Yet, by stripping funding from these residency programs, we are once again limiting access to the profession, forcing potential educators to navigate insurmountable financial and political obstacles.

According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute education analyst Ashley Young, Georgia ranks third in the U.S. for school loan debt at over $41,000 per borrower. Young also cites the fact that Black women carry the most school loan debt over any other White or BIPOC racial groups of students.

The Impact on High-Need Districts & A Broken Cost Benefit Analysis

Even before these cuts, teaching was one of the most underpaid professions relative to the education required. Unlike other fields where graduate degrees yield significant salary increases, educators are expected to take on massive student loan debt for minimal financial return. In cities like Atlanta, where the cost of living continues to skyrocket, teachers are often unable to afford to live in the communities they serve. GBPI also notes that if teacher salaries increased at the rate of inflation in 2024, the base teacher salary would have come with an extra $7,900 annually – an increase of almost $400 per paycheck.

By removing financial support from residency programs, we ask aspiring teachers, specifically those from marginalized backgrounds, to go further into debt for a career that does not promise livable wages. The results will be unsustainable and represent a blatant attack on efforts to create a representative, well-supported teaching workforce.

The cuts to these programs are disastrous for high-need districts, where teacher shortages are already severe. Many of these programs were designed to recruit and retain teachers in STEM fields, special education, and other high-demand subject areas. Georgia State University’s Partner for Residency Opportunities for Paraprofessionals, Educators, and Leaders (PROPEL) Project is a prime example. PROPEL partnered with school systems across the Atlanta and metro areas to “bolster the pipeline of teachers and school leaders by reaching individuals at multiple levels of professional practice.”

With fewer residency-trained teachers entering the pipeline, the quality of education in these communities will decline, exacerbating educational inequities and further alienating students who already face systemic barriers to success.

Moreover, the loss of funding doesn’t just affect aspiring teachers; it disrupts entire ecosystems within universities and K-12 districts. Professors and researchers who have dedicated their careers to strengthening the teacher workforce face job insecurity.

Graduate research assistants employed through these grants have lost their income overnight. Following the freeze of millions of dollars of funding to residency programs, the DOE subsequently launched enddei.ed.gov/, an internet portal supposedly protecting students and parents by allowing them to “report illegal, discriminatory practices at institutions of higher learning.”

These are not isolated consequences; they are ripple effects that will be felt for years to come.

The decimation of Black educator pipelines is nothing new. Following the passage of Brown v. Board of Education, tens of thousands of Black teachers and administrators were systematically pushed out of schools as districts prioritized hiring white educators. The result? A sharp decline in Black teachers, the effects we are still battling today.

This latest move by the federal government echoes that historical devastation.

By eliminating the programs designed to counteract systemic barriers, we once again ensure that Black students will have fewer opportunities to learn from educators who reflect their identities and lived experiences.

The Fight Ahead

The removal of federal funding for teacher residency programs is more than just a budgetary decision; it is an attack on the future of education. It is an attack on Black students. It is an attack on Black educators. It is an attack on every community that has fought to create equitable opportunities in education.

We must demand accountability, organize, advocate, and push for the reinstatement of this funding at both the federal and state levels. We need state leaders, philanthropists, and community organizations to step up and fill the gap, ensuring that these critical pathways into teaching remain accessible.

The results of these regressive policy actions will be stark: a continued teacher shortage, an increasingly underprepared workforce, and an education system that fails the students it claims to serve. This is not just an education issue; It is a civil rights issue.

And we must respond accordingly.