$61M in federal funding to Maine at risk over Donald Trump’s latest DEI mandate

The Bangor School Department doesn’t yet know if it will have to cut programs that aim to ensure all students, families and staff feel supported in order to keep the more than $1 million it receives in federal Title I funding.

The Department of Education sent a notice to states last Thursday ordering them to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in K-12 public schools or risk losing federal funding, specifically Title I. The letter states schools receive financial assistance under the condition of obeying federal civil rights laws and DEI practices violate federal law because they “advantage one’s race over another.” 

The notice gives states 10 days to certify that all K-12 schools are following federal civil rights laws and eliminating DEI practices.

If Maine doesn’t comply and the Trump administration follows through on its promise to pull federal funding, the state would lose the $61.8 million it receives in Title I funding for disadvantaged K-12 students across the state, according to the Maine Education Policy Research Institute.

Of that, the Bangor School Department receives nearly $1.6 million in Title I funding, according to Ray Phinney, a spokesperson for the school department.

The Trump administration’s latest shot against “radical and wasteful” DEI policies comes a few months after the Bangor School Department doubled down on its diversity efforts, as school leaders believe they’re essential to making all students feel valued. However, it’s now unclear if or how Bangor schools will respond to the latest order from the Education Department.

“The Bangor School Department is working closely with the Maine School Management Association and the Maine Department of Education to understand how to best proceed,” Phinney said.

The Maine DOE sent a notice to school departments on Monday afternoon stating it is “reviewing the situation and formulating our state response” and directed school departments to “refrain from sending certifications to the Maine DOE at this time.”

The Maine DOE notice also said that “state education chiefs across the nation received an extension until April 24, 2025, to make state agency submissions.”

The Office of the Maine Attorney General did not return requests for comment on Monday.

In January, school leaders promised Bangor students and their families that they wouldn’t do away with the department’s DEI policies or the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Advisory Committee, bucking the president’s orders.

The Bangor School Committee said it would continue complying with the Maine Human Rights Act, “which prohibits discrimination on the basis of protected class in employment, housing, places of public accommodation, education, and extension of credit.”

“While federal policies may change, Maine state law continues to uphold strong protections against discrimination in schools, and we remain fully committed to these legal standards,” the school department’s statement said.

The school department’s ongoing DEI efforts began after the Bangor Daily News detailed reports of racism at Bangor High School in 2020. Accounts of white students calling classmates the N-word and defending slavery and white supremacy in class discussions were affirmed by an independent investigation later that year.

Dana Carver-Bialer, the Bangor School Department’s civil rights director, told the Bangor Daily News last month that the schools value DEI because “it’s about creating an environment where people are all safe, respected and seen as their authentic selves.”

“There’s nothing political about creating a place where students and staff can thrive,” Carver-Bialer said.