Montclair State official says abrupt federal termination of teacher‑preparation grant imperils Newark and Orange classrooms

Dr. Tanya Maloney, associate professor at Montclair State University and co‑director of the Urban Teacher Residency program, testified that a $3.7 million Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant awarded in 2020 was abruptly terminated on 02/13/2025. She read the Department of Education rationale as saying the grant funded programs "that promote or take part in DEI initiatives or other initiatives that unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion..." and described immediate consequences for partner districts and the program.

Maloney told legislators that Montclair has produced 12 cohorts (about 140 teachers under the grant series), with 95% of graduates remaining in teaching for at least three years and 99% rated effective or highly effective. The termination, she said, harms retention, reduces coaching and induction support (100 hours of coaching per participant), increases caseloads for special education and shifts unreimbursed expenditures onto Montclair, local districts and students because the university spends funds up front and is reimbursed later.

Montclair asked the committee to advocate for restoring the TQP funding and to maintain state support for teacher development programs that serve urban districts. Committee members expressed concern and pressed for follow‑up information about financial exposure and the program's students and staff.