A lawsuit filed on behalf of students who were impacted by the Trump administration’s plans last year to abruptly shut down Job Corps centers across the country reached a settlement earlier this month.
The Tongue Point Job Corps Center in Astoria was not a party to the lawsuit, but the settlement carries implications for its operations going forward.
As part of the settlement, the Department of Labor will halt its May 2025 decision that would have closed the doors at more than 90 Job Corps centers. The centers provide education and vocational training as well as on-campus housing. The center at Tongue Point, which accepted its first students in 1965, is one of the oldest such centers in the country.
Adam Pulver, an attorney with Public Citizen Group and the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, acknowledged there is still uncertainty around the future of the programs.
“We don’t know what the Department of Labor is planning to do in the future, but we know that the kind of ‘one fell swoop’ fast action that they took is illegal,” he said.
He added, “I think the Department of Labor knows that we’re watching and that there are advocates and litigants ready to jump in there if the Department of Labor tries to close centers without following the law in the future.”
Pulver hopes the experience will show the federal government that it needs to have more consideration for disruption to students and take a more orderly approach to any changes in the future.
“One of the cruelest things they did in May was to act so quickly and provide students so little time to find substitute places to live, to finish the programs that they’ve been working in for years, to develop skills and get certificates,” Pulver said.
“A lot of the young people that the Job Corps program served have been let down many times in their lives before,” he added.
They were trying to turn their lives around with the Job Corps program, Pulver said, “and for many of them, it was disappointing but not 100% shocking that the program they thought was going to be their lifeline was suddenly letting them down.”
In Astoria, a number of students and staff faced uncertainty about their futures, including the possibility of suddenly losing their housing if the Tongue Point campus closed down.
The Astoria City Council held a community meeting to discuss the issues facing Tongue Point and show their support for those impacted and community leaders quickly coordinated to figure out potential housing for students and employees at the center.
Enrollment at Tongue Point dipped even as lawsuits stalled the federal government’s efforts and Tongue Point was able to stay open.
Now Tongue Point representatives say they are actively enrolling students and the center is operating as normal. They hope to enroll approximately 200 students and are working to increase enrollment, according to a spokesperson. Tongue Point offers students training and certification across a variety of trades including in the maritime industry.
Jeff Barton, senior vice president overseeing Job Corps operations for Management & Training Corporation (MTC), said in a statement that now is “a great time for young people to take a closer look at everything Job Corps has to offer. We want to fill every available seat so more young people can gain the skills, support and confidence they need to launch successful careers.”
In December, Mac McGoldrick, director of Tongue Point Job Corps Center, told KMUN they were being upfront with current and prospective students about the challenges and uncertainty the center faces.
But, he said, staff remain committed to making Job Corps work on Oregon’s North Coast.