The Department of Education notified Pima Community College on Sept. 12 it would cancel its TRiO Upward Bound grant programs at the end of the month. The now-discontinued grants supported low-income and first-generation students preparing for college.
The Department of Education cited Pima’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy and the grant program’s plans for racial justice workshops as reasons for canceling the program. The department’s Sept. 12 letter reads that Pima’s grant application “has proposed project activities that may conflict with the Department’s policy for prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education” and that “the continuation of this project is not in the best interest of the Federal Government.”
However, program coordinator Carlos Romero told AZPM that neither Pima’s DEI statement nor a plan for racial justice workshops was part of the grant proposals approved by the federal government in 2022 and lasting until 2027. AZPM was able to confirm that neither of the stated reasons were included in the grant proposal submitted by the Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus. Its only mention of diversity is on page 50 of the project narrative: “Adjust teaching style to meet the needs of a diverse student population.”
“They’re reciting this bull**** and just making things up,” Romero said.
The Council of Opportunity in Education — which has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education for its cancellation of TRiO grant funding — says that about $40 million in TRiO funding and services for at least 40,000 students nationwide will be cut.
Sunnyside High School in Tucson will lose $3 million. Romero said the school will be hit hardest because it’s losing the Upward Bound Math and Science program in addition to the typical Upward Bound grant.
Romero encouraged Pima community members to speak out at Wednesday evening’s college board meeting to gather support for joining the lawsuit against the Department of Education with the goal of reinstating Upward Bound.
At the meeting, he urged the members of the board to take action. “You praised us in the good times. Now you must defend us in the bad,” he said.
More than 10 others spoke up, including Sunnyside High School alum Hakima Abdulkadir: “We say this is a federal challenge, that we have our legislators. But don’t deny your power. You are in these seats for a reason. You were once classroom dreamers too. I ask you to see yourselves in these students’ shoes.”
Romero told AZPM that Upward Bound has met all six of its objectives in the last five years, including a college graduation rate of at least 50%. It has also sent students to over 28 universities around the country; produced 12 Dell Scholarship winners; and one Flynn Scholar.
The entire program — which was spread across four of Pima’s campuses — served the following high schools: Amphitheater, Flowing Wells, Rincon, Santa Rita, Marana, Sunnyside, Alta Vista and Desert View. The three latter schools are located in southern Tucson, in areas where the percentage of people holding bachelor’s degrees is in the single digits.
“There’s a lot of talent and intellect on the south side. It just needs a chance. It just needs an opportunity. And these programs provide that,” Romero said.
The University of Arizona’s chapter of Upward Bound still operates in partnership with Pueblo and Cholla high schools. Pima’s five Upward Bound programs, however, remain shut down with Friday as Romero and his colleagues’ last day of employment.
