The COVID health pandemic has blunted progress made in the number of Latino students graduating with a college certificate or degree, a development which could have long-term racial and economic impacts in Colorado.

Wil Del Pilar, vice president of higher education policy with the Education Trust, said the primary barrier for Latino students is lack of financial resources compared with their white peers.

Just 21% of Latino men have completed a college degree, compared with 47% for white adults.

"The reason this is critical is because the jobs that are being created require some post-secondary education," said Del Pilar. "And so unless we educate this population of our state residents, we are actually going to leave them behind in the economy."

Colorado ranks high nationally for its educated population; 61% of all Coloradans have some college credential.

A recent Chalkbeat report found that just one in four Hispanic Coloradans has completed a certificate or degree. Less than half of Latino men attending four year colleges in Colorado, and fewer than a third at community colleges, make it to graduation.

Del Pilar said even modest supports can make a big difference. He points to an emergency grant program his group helped launch to help students if they needed to purchase food or repair their car, in order to keep students from stopping out of school.

He says he was surprised by the average grant size.

"Seventy-six dollars could be the difference between a student earning their degree or a student being one of these statistics," said Del Pilar, "of the 36 million people in this country who have some college and no degree."

Hispanic enrollment in higher education fell by 5% last fall during the height of the pandemic. Enrollment among first-time Hispanic college students dropped by nearly 20%.

Del Pilar said students entering an environment where they don't see many people who look like them face additional barriers if they are the first in their family to attend college.

"When you're seeing a lot of first-generation, especially first-generation Latino students, is the student having to figure it out on their own," said Del Pilar. "They don't have what we call "college knowledge," of what it takes to get in, what it takes to pay, and then what it takes to get through college."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Educators in Texas are concerned about the Trump administration's plans to dismantle the Department of Education.

One of the Department's primary roles is to administer federal funding for K-12 schools.

Zeph Capo, president of the American Federation of Teachers-Texas, said more than 18% of the state's education budget comes from federal funding and potential cuts would affect many programs.

"$1.3 billion for special education students, $132 million additional for life skills work that may go beyond traditional pre-K-12, $126 million for before- and after-school programs," Capo outlined.

The education department also administers Title I money for students in rural and lower income communities. Capo stressed those students will be more heavily affected by the cuts.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Linda McMahon as the new Secretary of the Department of Education. During her confirmation hearing, she said the public education system is in decline and vowed to reorient the department and invest in teachers. During a town hall meeting, Capo told teachers it is time to organize and take action.

"Contact your representative. You can find ways to do that on our website. You can make your way to the page where you can send an action letter," Capo explained. "The second thing is to submit an op-ed or a letter to the editor. Share your story with your elected officials, share your story with your community."

The president does not have the power to shutter the Education Department. It would take an act of Congress with 60 'yes' votes in the Senate.

Capitol Hill observers said the Trump administration is moving quickly against the federal Department of Education, potentially leaving Virginia schools with a $2.5 billion hole in their budgets.

The Senate confirmed former pro wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the department's secretary this week, a move expected to trigger plans to dismantle the agency. Recent polls show 63% of Americans oppose closing the department.

David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, said school districts are worried about the potential loss of funds.

"It would be devastating," Walrod explained. "Here in Virginia the federal government averages 9.8% of dollars that are spent on public education. If a district has a budget of $1 million, then the federal government is providing $98,000 of that. That's a pretty significant chunk."

According to USA Facts, Virginia public schools receive funding from the federal government, a total of $2.5 billion, or $2,038 per student. That's 19.6% below the national average of $2,233.

Walrod pointed out the loss of funds could affect the number of teachers schools can hire, put building improvements on hold and force administrators to decide which programs to keep. He fears the cuts would probably hurt the state's most vulnerable students.

"Most of that money is specifically geared toward students with disabilities," Walrod emphasized. "Students with disabilities can achieve. We know that they deserve the same opportunities that all of their classmates have. But in a lot of cases, those students can be more expensive to educate."

So far, the administration has made cuts to department staff, programs and research but only Congress can officially close the department. Walrod thinks elected officials should visit Virginia classrooms before making a decision.

"I would tell them to go walk through one of our public schools, to step into one of our special education classrooms, step into one of our inclusive classrooms, a generalized classroom that receives special education support," Walrod urged. "I would tell them to just look at the great work that is happening there."

Several hundred protesters marched to the Capitol building in Sacramento on Tuesday, calling for better funding for education.

The event was part of a nationwide day of action sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers.

Stephanie Luna, a student at East Los Angeles Community college, said she supports Assembly Bill 537, which would allow two years of free community college tuition for part-time students. Right now, the College Promise program is only open to people who take a full course load.

"We know that the majority of California community college students are part-time," Luna pointed out. "For the students that have to work or they have to take care of family, they're also deserving of access to a higher education the same way that full-time students are."

Speakers also called for full funding for higher education in the next state budget, currently under negotiation. And with the state and federal budgets in flux, Republicans in Congress are proposing huge cuts to Medicaid. The Trump administration is also threatening to pull federal funding from schools using race as a factor in policy or programming.

James McKeever, president of the American Federation of Teachers 1521 Faculty Guild in Los Angeles and professor of sociology at Pierce College, a community college in the San Fernando Valley, said courses touching on diversity, equity and inclusion are important to a well-rounded education.

"We're really trying to just show that we're teaching an accurate, diverse history," McKeever explained. "Too often, our history books have left out the accomplishments of women, of people of color and queer people. And we want to make sure that those people get remembered and recognized."

Speakers at the march also called on lawmakers to fend off any tuition increases and to prioritize fair compensation and equitable working conditions for campus employees.