OLYMPIA—Washington State’s top Education Superintendent advises school districts throughout the state to not make any changes to existing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in response to a “Dear Colleague Letter” sent by the United States Department of Education on February 14 warning all education agencies and institutions throughout the country, to end what it called “insidious” DEI policies by February 28 or “face potential loss of federal funding.”
“I want to be clear: Dear Colleague Letters do not hold the power of law,” wrote Chris Reykdal, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “The letter even states, ‘This guidance does not have the force and effect of law and does not bind the public or create new legal standards.’”
He shared that his team is “closely engaged” with the Attorney General’s Office, to consider legal options if the Trump administration were to pursue legal paths to freeze or remove federal dollars from Washington’s K–12 school system.
In a letter penned by Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights for the United States Department of Education, he opened stating, “Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible” and stated that “under the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI),’” educational institutions are not only practicing discrimination, they are “toxically” indoctrinating students with “the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism.’”
“DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not,” he wrote. “Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes.”
Trainor stated that educational agencies have until February 28 to comply with the following or lose all their federal funding:
- Ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law;
- Cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends; and
- Cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race.
“The Department will vigorously enforce the law on equal terms as to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance,” Trainor wrote.
Reykdal accused the Trainor of weaponizing DEI against “a high-quality public education.”
“Public education is a civil right in our country, and that in itself is DEI,” wrote Reykdal. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done in Washington state, and we are not going backward.”
The Department of Education set up the following hotline for the public to report noncompliance with its ultimatum to educational agencies and institutions: File a Complaint: Discrimination Form | U.S. Department of Education.
Federal Funding for Washington State Schools
Federal funding for Washington State schools comes from multiple sources, including Title I (for low-income students), IDEA (for special education), and emergency relief funds like ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief). Much of this funding is allocated on a fiscal year basis (e.g., July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, for the 2024-25 school year) rather than a strict calendar year, and final figures for 2024 aren’t fully consolidated yet as of today’s date.
For the 2021-22 school year, Washington schools received approximately $2.7 billion in federal funds, equating to about $2,512 per student, according to USAFacts. This represented roughly 12.4% of total public school funding that year, with the rest coming from state and local sources. Federal funding levels tend to fluctuate annually based on Congressional appropriations, student demographics (e.g., poverty levels), and special programs.
Author: Mario Lotmore
One Response
WA state policies are failing our students. Low national scores and DEI policies are not benefitting anyone. We need radical changes to our educational system. I think we should move forward with school choice ….this may be the only fair path for all students. Let parents make the choices for their children and where they go to school