Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has initiated legal action against the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), alongside attorneys general from North Carolina and the District of Columbia. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Maryland, targets what the officials describe as unlawful cuts to funding for Full-Service Community School programs, which are designed to support high-poverty communities.
The complaint alleges that the DOE has abruptly terminated grants that were previously approved by Congress, posing a significant risk to essential services for students and their families. In a statement, Brown emphasized the importance of these programs, stating, “The Department of Education’s unlawful decision to abruptly cut funding for FSCS programs will strip hundreds of Maryland students and families of essential support for food, housing and educational resources.” He further noted that the legal action aims to protect vital resources for Maryland families, asserting that students’ futures should not be compromised.
Community Schools as Lifelines
Full-Service Community Schools function as neighborhood hubs, integrating educational instruction with health care, food assistance, housing support, and other social services. These resources are crucial in overcoming barriers to learning. In Maryland, the number of community schools has surged significantly under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, expanding from approximately 454 in 2023 to a projected 621 by fiscal 2025, with aspirations to reach nearly 700 schools statewide. Baltimore alone is home to an estimated 154 community schools, including institutions such as Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove.
The lawsuit outlines that federal law allows the DOE to allocate Full-Service Community School grants for five-year durations, with subsequent funding contingent on program performance. However, the suit claims that in mid-December, the DOE issued notices to grantees nationwide, indicating that their programs would be discontinued due to conflicts with the priorities of the previous administration.
Impact on Local Programs
Among the affected programs is one run by the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMB), which received a five-year grant worth approximately $1.9 million in 2022 to support students at Renaissance Academy and the Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts in Baltimore. The lawsuit asserts that this program has contributed to improved school attendance and has provided critical services, including food distribution, housing assistance, and financial support for utility bills.
Just two weeks before Christmas, UMB was informed that its grant would be canceled at the end of December, citing two references to “anti-racism” in the previously approved application as the reason for termination. This decision results in a loss of approximately $800,000 in funding over the next two years, according to the lawsuit.
The attorneys general contend that these funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act by neglecting required performance-based standards and failing to offer a lawful justification for the terminations. They are seeking a federal judge’s ruling to declare the cuts unlawful and to restore the grants.
If the cuts are permitted to remain in effect, Brown warned that the consequences would be severe, dismantling essential academic and social supports for students in Maryland and potentially across the nation. The outcome of this legal challenge could significantly impact the future of community school programs that serve as vital resources for underserved populations.
