Wisconsin sued for racial discrimination in teacher loan program 

Wisconsin is under fire for allegedly using taxpayer dollars to racially discriminate against nonminority teachers.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty sued the state Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) Sept. 13 over its Minority Teacher Loan (MTL) program.

The program, which launched in 1992, lends up to $10,000 annually to minority college students who agree to use their teaching degrees to work in a “Wisconsin school district with a 40% or higher minority student population.”

To be eligible, students themselves must be members of a “minority population,” which is defined as black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Island origin, or biracial.

After graduation, HEAB forgives “25 percent of the loan and 25 percent interest on that loan for each school year” as long as the student continues to teach.

However, WILL is suing on behalf of Wisconsin taxpayers, claiming the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

“Wisconsin cannot decide who receives taxpayer-funded educational opportunities based upon the color of their skin,” said WILL Deputy Counsel Rebecca Furdek. “By imposing this race-based barrier, the current program also undermines a near-universal goal of addressing Wisconsin’s teacher shortage.

“We hope Gov. Evers and HEAB will follow the Constitution, end this discrimination, and ensure these opportunities are available to all Wisconsin students, regardless of race.”

The move comes as governments and institutions roll back their DEI programs amid the Trump administration’s push against diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and builds on WILL’s earlier success.

Earlier this year, the institute won a similar lawsuit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court against HEAB’s Minority Undergraduate Retention Program. It promised to use that legal precedent as a springboard to stop all race-based programs.

“This is a major win for students. Race cannot be used to dole out scholarships and other financial aid,” WILL said at the time. “This is also a big win for taxpayers, who can now challenge many other race-based programs in state court. WILL is proud to stand for equal rights and make that case everywhere we can.”