Sonoma State teacher credentialing program faces cuts amid Trump's assault on DEI programs

PETALUMA, Calif. (KGO) -- A Sonoma State program that trains new teachers in the classroom faces an uncertain future after the Trump administration cut a key part of its federal funding.

In California, teacher candidates need at least 600 hours of classroom time for their credential, but the Sonoma State program goes further. It's a residency program that requires at least 900 hours -- about two more months in the classroom.

"They have a lot of extra practice, with kids and also with their mentor, and they get a lot of extra feedback and coaching because the mentor there is watching them teach and they are getting on the spot job training," said Dr. Rhianna Casesa, residency director at Sonoma State.

The university currently has nine resident teacher sites in schools from Marin County to Mendocino County.

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"Our teacher residency program is modeled after a medical residency where they have clinical rounds and they go and watch each other. Well here, the other residents come and watch their peers teach and we all give each other collaborative feedback," said Dr. Casesa.

The results are notable. Old Adobe Union School District has had 40 teaching residents from the program in the past four years.

"We have hired pretty much every successful teacher candidate from this program because the quality is incredible. They've worked with our teachers, they've learned from our teachers. They're immersed in our community. And they come out of this program really well prepared to teach all students," explained co-superintendent Michele Gochberg.

The residency program requires a big time commitment. Teachers are on site the entire school day - Monday through Friday.

The program uses a state grant to pay them a monthly stipend, which not all credentialing programs offer.

In exchange, students must teach at a public school for four years after they graduate.

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Last year, Sonoma State also got a federal grant from the Department of Education to help students pay their tuition.

The extra funds helped the program double in size -- from 40 to 80 resident teachers this year.

But the Trump administration decided to pull that funding in September, leaving the university scrambling to come up with the lost scholarship money for the spring semester.

"It was a very sudden announcement," said Dr. Laura Alamillo, Dean of the College of Education, Counseling and Ethnic Studies.

The U.S. Department of Education sent Sonoma State a letter stating it was ending discretionary funding to colleges that serve large Hispanic populations, claiming the university was discriminating.

The student population at Sonoma State is 43% Hispanic, higher than the Hispanic population in Sonoma County which is 26%, but similar to the Hispanic population in Napa County which is about 41%.

"I think it hits not only the community, it hits family, it hits children. This is very much a decision that is going to impact for years to come," said Dr. Alamillo.

She pushes back on claims diversity programs lower standards.

"I think it only makes it a better program if you get more racially and linguistically diverse teachers in classrooms, in classrooms that are already racially and linguistically diverse. In a way, we are just matching what is happening in the classroom," explained Dr. Alamillo.

Sonoma State is replacing the lost grant money, but only for the rest of the school year. The school is looking for alternative funding sources for next year.

"I hope I don't see a decline in enrollment, but I think that's the impact that we will be seeing is fewer people coming into the teacher credential program because they can't afford tuition without the scholarships," said Dr. Casesa.

Cindy De Leon is a resident teacher at Loma Vista Dual Immersion Elementary School in Petaluma.

Bilingual teachers are among California's biggest need.

She works Monday through Friday at the school. She said getting the state and federal grant funds help her pay her rent and other necessities without having to get a weekend job.

"When you are a full-time resident as a teacher working 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and, without being compensated for that, a lot of people would maybe not want to participate in the program, which lessens the amount of people who want to be teachers," explained De Leon.

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