Trump Administration Jeopardizes Education Programs at MSU, TCNJ

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TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced today that New Jersey is joining with California and Massachusetts to co-lead a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its illegal early termination of U.S. Education Department (USED) grants to fund critical teacher preparation programs. These grants are aimed at reversing a national shortage of K-12 teachers in high-need areas across the country and in subjects where it is hard to find qualified candidates, including math and special education.

“New Jersey prides itself on having one of the premier education systems in the nation, and that is thanks to the quality of teachers we have in our state,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “The Teacher Quality Partnership grants provided by the U.S. Department of Education help ensure our teachers remain the best-in-the-nation, allowing our future leaders to continue to receive the highest quality education possible. I thank Attorney General Platkin and his team for leading the fight for our state against yet another unlawful action by the Trump Administration.”

“We need more people to enter the teaching profession, not fewer, and this illegal action by the Trump Administration will harm not only teachers, but students in New Jersey who will be deprived of the education they are entitled to,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Not only does it defy common sense to end these programs, but the manner in which the Trump Administration did so is also unlawful. The president and his so-called efficiency experts cannot unilaterally take away the Congressional authority that created and funded these programs, and we are taking action to protect teachers, students, and families across our state.”

In New Jersey, two colleges with exemplary teacher preparation programs—Montclair State University (MSU) and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)—both received word that their grants were cut without explanation or warning.

Nationwide, in 2024, more than 400,000 teaching positions—representing about one in eight of all teaching positions—were vacant or filled by uncertified teachers. When schools are unable to find qualified teachers, students suffer. Teacher shortages can result in larger class sizes, cancelled courses, or classes staffed with teachers less qualified to teach a subject.

In New Jersey, which has also been affected by the nationwide teacher shortage, there is a particular need to fill in having enough qualified teachers in fields such as math, science, special education, world languages and more – an effort that is actively being harmed by this action by the Trump Administration.

Beginning on February 7, institutions received letters claiming to terminate approximately $600 million in funding for the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant programs. These programs are designed to create a pipeline for teachers serving rural and urban communities and teaching harder-to-fill positions like math and science. These programs have been shown to increase teacher retention rates and ensures that educators remain in the profession beyond the crucial first five years.

MSU has used its TQP funds to recruit and prepare high-quality teachers for two local schools districts—Newark Board of Education and Orange Public Schools—in subjects such as math, science, and special education.

TCNJ was in the process of training educators as part of its teacher residency program. These educators, who are in the classroom in their local partnership schools fulltime, were scheduled to graduate in Spring 2025 and enter their own classrooms this coming fall.

The attorneys general argue that the terminations, effective immediately, violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, seeks a permanent injunction to prevent disruptions to these programs, which would immediately reduce the number of teachers and teacher trainees serving in schools. The complaint also asks the court to declare that the grant terminations violate the APA.

In New Jersey, this matter is being handled by Deputy Attorneys General Jessica Palmer, Amanda Morejón, Lauren Van Driesen, and Elizabeth Walsh.

In addition to New Jersey, California and Massachusetts, other states joining the lawsuit are Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin.

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