On June 9, 2026, California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a coalition including Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s (DoE) discontinuation of grants awarded under the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) program. These competitive grants provide critical funding for the professional development of special education staff and support services for children with disabilities. 

The SPDG program was established in 2004 through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to improve long-term outcomes for vulnerable populations. For decades, the DoE administered the SPDG program in a routine and predictable manner by  inviting states to apply for grants and identifying relevant priorities that had been subject to notice and comment. After providing an initial award, the DoE would determine whether the grant should continue for the following year based on enumerated performance and financial metrics. Nevertheless, in January 2025, the Trump administration departed from this settled practice and called for the review and termination of federal grants that funded equity-related initiatives. In September 2025, the DoE discontinued grants in the coalition states claiming their programs “reflect the prior Administration’s priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current Administration” and thus were “not in the best interest of the Federal Government.”  

In the lawsuit, the coalition argues that the Department’s discontinuation of funding violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) because it was contrary to law, without observance of procedure required by law, and arbitrary and capricious. The discontinuation also violated the Spending Clause of the United States Constitution. The coalition asks the court to find the discontinuation of funds unlawful, emphasizing the harmful impact of discontinuing essential resources for schools, educators, and parents that support students with disabilities. 

It is disgraceful that President Trump has disregarded the needs of students with disabilities, claiming that supporting their needs is not in the best interest of the federal government. The Trump Administration discontinued critical grants designed to improve outcomes for students with disabilities by building the capacity of educators, administrators, and systems to ensure timely appropriate services and navigate early intervention.Attorney General Rob Bonta