Biden Administration’s Education Department Allocated Over $1 Billion on DEI Grants, New Report Reveals – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
11:36 PM – Friday, December 13, 2024
The oversight organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) released a report highlighting the over $1 billion allocated by the Department of Education for DEI-oriented grants to public school districts, universities, and NGOs since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
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PDE claims that 162 grants aimed at DEI, which stands for “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” emphasized mental health training, educational initiatives, and recruitment efforts.
The total expenditure was $1,002,522,304.81. Moreover, PDE indicated that this figure is “a conservative estimate” and could be even greater.
“These estimates are derived from accessible data and may not be precise. The actual number of districts and students involved is likely much greater. Some districts, like Miami-Dade County Public Schools, are linked to multiple grants and are thus only represented once in these totals,” PDE emphasized in its report.
PDE provided a breakdown of the DEI grant distribution:
- DEI Hiring: $489,883,797.81
- DEI Programming: $343,337,286
- DEI-Based Mental Health/Social Emotional Learning (SEL): $169,301,221
“Certain grants encompassed two or all of the aforementioned categories, and in those instances, the grant was classified under the most prominent category,” PDE elaborated in its report.
“The School District of Philadelphia received $3,973,175 for its restorative justice initiative, modeled after the program in Oakland Unified School District (Calif.), with a program advisor identified as a far-left activist and former member of the Communist Party USA.”
By the end of the 2023–2024 academic year, approximately one-third of K–12 students across the nation were reportedly lagging behind their grade levels, as per a report published in September by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
PDE characterizes itself as a “national grassroots organization striving to reclaim our schools from activists imposing detrimental agendas.”
“The entities that truly profit from this substantial grant funding are the universities, administrators, and DEI consultants, all at the detriment of children’s education,” stated PDE researcher Rhyen Staley. “This paradigm must be altered to prioritize children’s learning over race-based policies and DEI initiatives.”
In place of outgoing Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Linda McMahon to assume the role.
After two decades of educational advancement, the impact of school closures—backed by national teachers’ unions—has reversed much of that progress, with federal bureaucrats appearing inactive while schools were slow to reopen.
Cardona also engaged in cultural debates and openly clashed with conservative governors regarding curriculum controls and parental rights.
“The [Education] Secretary holds responsibility for the overall direction, oversight, and coordination of all Department activities, serving as the primary adviser to the President on federal educational policies, programs, and initiatives in the U.S.,” as stated by the U.S. Department of Education.
Overseeing a department of 4,000 federal employees responsible for funds distribution, paperwork management, data collection, and regulation drafting is essential to the role. With a history of low morale and accusations of being overly aligned with certain unions, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) contends that an external figure like McMahon, who boasts a solid management background, is essential.
Given the recent FAFSA scandal, strong business acumen and managerial expertise may be increasingly critical. The new system, launched last winter, has faced numerous challenges for colleges and students, at times denying students the financial aid to which they are entitled.
“Congress mandated that the Department of Education reform its federal student aid framework. The aim was to simplify the application process by directly obtaining financial information from the IRS, thereby reducing application queries from over 100 to as few as 18 for certain applicants,” per the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
After successive failed audits and the rising need to restore order in student lending following Biden’s controversial college debt forgiveness efforts, some observers liken the Department of Education to a massive bank tethered to a specialized policy agency.
There are also calls to resolve internal issues within the department.
Before embarking on a new career path, McMahon first earned a teaching credential during her college education and assisted in growing her family’s successful sports entertainment company. She has also served on the Connecticut Board of Education and as a trustee of Sacred Heart University for many years. McMahon has been active in advocating for a more conservative education policy as board chair of the America First Policy Institute, aiming to eliminate extreme left ideologies from educational institutions and restore decision-making authority to parents. She champions training initiatives and high-quality educational opportunities to empower millions of American students to secure stable employment.
“Her objective is to enhance education, but it’s essential that government does not obstruct educational progress. With this perspective, we will advance,” remarked Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), who met with her on Tuesday.
Budd represents a group of Republican leaders who believe that McMahon’s past experience managing the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first administration gives her an edge in navigating the struggles of a currently mismanaged federal agency.
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