The White House fiscal year 2026 budget proposal shows the Trump administration is pushing to completely eliminate Equity Assistance Centers (EACs) by eliminating $7 million in funding for the centers, slashing the nation’s oldest education technical assistance program entirely. The proposal claims the centers have “indoctrinated children” and that their closure would “restore merit-based practices at school” while ensuring “districts do not have to implement weaponized, woke policies.”
EACs were established under the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and were originally called Desegregation Assistance Centers. According to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) website, the centers provide technical assistance and training to schools, school districts and school boards to “address education issues occasioned by school desegregation,” such as harassment, bullying and prejudice. The centers also help school districts interpret data to identify disparities and means for addressing those disparities, including professional development programming.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed one of at least two lawsuits challenging the administration’s decision to close EACs nationwide, which many fear will roll back decades of progress towards civil rights and equal opportunity in public education. Thus far, the new administration has taken other actions eliminate civil rights advancements that were meant to address the longstanding impact of slavery and racism on Black students.
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