Agency cuts funds for LULAC student centers
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Agency cuts funds for LULAC student centers
Oak Cliff facility among those that offer services to Hispanics in need
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, August 4, 2006
By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON – LULAC-run centers in Oak Cliff and around the U.S. that counsel low-income Hispanic students on getting into college have lost their federal funding, jeopardizing future operations.
The Education Department on Thursday officially notified the League of United Latin American Citizens that its request for $3.4 million in federal grants was denied. That decision ends the government's 27-year relationship with the LULAC National Educational Service Centers, which operate in 17 cities.
The announcement disappointed LULAC officials, who had applied for funds for the existing centers and sought to open facilities in eight other cities.
"We are outraged as to how this could happen, and we can't imagine what their justification really could be," said Matthew Looney, national development coordinator for the centers, also located in Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Corpus Christi.
LULAC's grant applications fell below the cutoff score necessary for funding, Education Department spokesman Trey Ditto said. That means the group will be ineligible for the federal program during the next four years.
There were 753 applicants nationwide seeking a share of the $136 million in Talent Search grants given out for next year, 450 of which were funded.
Applicants had to score 98.6 or better on a 100-point scale – and LULAC's application fell well below that cutoff, officials said. The organization's application was below 60 on all three evaluators' reviews.
"The fact that LULAC scored below the threshold means that they did not meet the requirements of the panel," Mr. Ditto said.
LULAC officials were puzzled by the low scores, noting that in the last funding cycle they'd scored 100.
While the grant process is now closed, Mr. Looney said LULAC would press its case with Congress, the White House and others. "I don't think it's the end of the road," he said.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn has talked to the Education Department about LULAC's bid and "stands by to assist in any way that he can," spokesman Brian Walsh said.
In the past four years, the LULAC centers have assisted 52,542 students – nearly 2,500 of them in Dallas – with college counseling, financial aid and admissions applications. The centers depend on federal funds for two-thirds of their budgets, and they will be hard-pressed to continue with student counseling and services such as English-language classes for parents, Mr. Looney said.
But he said LULAC is in discussions with corporate partners and foundations to make up for the loss of federal funding.
In addition to the five Texas locations, LULAC operates centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Pomona, Calif.; Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colo.; Miami; Chicago; Kansas City, Mo.; Albuquerque; Philadelphia; and Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
E-mail mmittelstadt@dallasnews.com