(The Center Square) — Arizona Democrats sent a letter to the Trump administration on Monday, asking it to reconsider its decision to revoke grants that help students prepare for college.
U.S. Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, both D-Arizona, as well as U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton, D-Tempe, and Yassamin Ansari, D-Phoenix, said they had “grave concern” about the Department of Education terminating the federal TRIO Upward Bound grants given to Tucson-based Pima Community College.
The lawmakers said the grants play a “vital role in supporting first-generation and low-income high school students in college readiness and completion.” Areas where students receive assistance include financial literacy and the college admission process.
The Democrats said the Department of Education alerted the community college in May that grants for its northwest and downtown campuses were being rescinded because of “alleged misalignment with the current administration’s policy priorities.”
According to the letter, the department canceled the grants a week before PCC was set to get its June disbursement of funds. The Democrats stated the community college did not receive prior notification from the DOE, and the agency did not explain how PCC’s funding usage conflicted with the administration’s goals.
PCC appealed this decision, and the Democrats asked the DOE to accept “this appeal and reinstate PCC’s Upward Bound grants.”
“Further delays risk serious and potentially irreversible disruptions to program operations and staffing. Resolving this matter promptly will ensure stability for the students and communities these programs serve,” they wrote.
The letter stated PCC has utilized these grants at its northwest and downtown campuses since 1989.
“At PCC, students have also developed strong academic skills in math, writing, and science, which have directly contributed to their post-secondary success,” the Democrats wrote.
Democrats expressed concern that cancellation of these funds would undermine other TRIO programs nationwide. The letter cites that there are more than 3,500 TRIO programs that help students, with 50 of them helping Arizonans.
The letter stated the next round of funding for these grants to Arizona colleges will take place Sept. 1.
“As PCC has now submitted an appeal for its terminated Upward Bound grants, we strongly urge you to give it your full and fair consideration,” the Democrats stated.
“Moreover, we ask that you preserve federal support for TRIO programs at large, including by ensuring the timely disbursement of other TRIO grant funding awarded to PCC and its peer institutions elsewhere in Arizona,” they added.
