Why It Matters
At least four Massachusetts school districts have eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion positions or programs in recent months, citing budget shortfalls and enrollment declines. The cuts come as the Trump administration’s anti-DEI directives for K-12 schools face legal challenges, creating uncertainty for educators even after federal courts struck down the guidance. Education leaders warn the rollbacks could widen achievement gaps and reduce support for students from marginalized backgrounds.
What Happened
Brookline Public Schools shuttered its Office of Educational Equity in March 2025, voting 5-4 to close the department despite community opposition. The office had opened in July 2023 to address complaints of racial bullying and harassment in the district, including an incident in which an eighth grader mimicked the murder of George Floyd by kneeling on a Black classmate’s neck.
Claire Galloway-Jones, who led the office, said the district pulled all operational funding at the start of the 2024-25 school year as the district faced an $8 million budget deficit. The district also denied her request for a $25,000 state grant to recruit and retain teachers of color, she said. Parents and local organizers raised more than $188,000 to save the office, but those funds were returned to donors after the school board’s vote.
Brookline is one of at least four Massachusetts districts to cut equity initiatives or positions in recent months. The district has cycled through five superintendents in the last decade and saw 18 educators of color leave their positions between 2021 and 2023.
By the Numbers
- $8 million: Brookline’s projected budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year
- $188,000: Amount raised by parents to preserve the equity office
- 18: Educators of color who left Brookline schools from 2021 to 2023
- 5: Superintendents who have led the district in the past decade
- 4: Massachusetts school districts that have cut DEI programs or positions
Federal Guidance Struck Down
The Trump administration’s Department of Education issued guidance in February 2025 threatening to withhold funding from schools that operated DEI programs or provided services targeting specific racial or ethnic groups. The department claimed such efforts discriminated against white and Asian students.
A federal judge struck down the guidance in August, ruling it unconstitutionally vague and a violation of free speech protections and procedural rules. The Trump administration dropped its appeal in late January and reached a settlement with the NAACP agreeing to cease use of its complaint portal and refrain from reinstating similar guidance under other names.
Attorneys representing civil rights groups said they are now working to inform districts that the anti-DEI directives have been declared unlawful. Four New England states, including Massachusetts, said they would not comply with the guidance even before courts blocked it.
Zoom Out
School districts nationwide face pressure to cut programs as federal pandemic aid expires and enrollment declines reduce per-pupil funding. Critics of equity offices argue they create administrative bloat without directly serving students. Supporters counter that dedicated staff are necessary to address achievement gaps, discipline disparities, and workforce diversity in school systems.
Massachusetts officials have defended diversity initiatives as central to the state’s educational success. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education wrote to the federal government in April 2025 that such programs were “a reason for our success, not a barrier to it.”
What’s Next
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell have pledged to resist federal efforts to eliminate diversity programs in schools. Education advocates say they will continue pressing districts to maintain equity-focused positions and initiatives despite budget constraints.
Galloway-Jones said district officials “didn’t value the work because they didn’t understand it.” She expressed disappointment that officials were not transparent about their reasons for closing the office.