“Today’s three guilty verdicts of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd offer us hope that change is possible. While we breathe a collective sigh of relief, the solutions our communities need must be based in collective action and policy. Transformational solutions are rooted in true people power with the enactment of social, racial and economic justice policies. It will require civic engagement, advocacy and accountability of our public officials to end systemic racism. Millions across our country and around the world marched in protest to denounce Mr. Floyd’s murder. The marching and non-violent organizing must continue as we grieve the ongoing slayings of Black, and Brown people at the hands of the police. While we pause to honor the pain of George Floyd’s family today, our commitment to our Black, Indigenous People of Color communities is an explicit promise to work together to end injustice.” – Camila Chavez, DHF Executive Director & Dolores Huerta, Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation
[BAKERSFIELD, CA] THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020- In celebration of the iconic American labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta’s 90th birthday, the Dolores Huerta Foundation is bringing celebrities, elected officials and activists together to raise money to relieve the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in regions where politically disempowered, low-income, immigrant, and farmworker groups are being disproportionately affected.
“In my 90 years, I have seen the progress in our country towards improvements for women, our LGBTQ+ community and people of color, but we know we have not yet achieved the equity we deserve. So as we go forward for the next century, we can learn from the lessons of the past to reimagine and shape the future for a world that is just and fair for all,” Huerta stated.
The digital event will be streamed on all of DHF’s major social platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on Saturday, May 30 beginning at 5:00 pm PDT / 8:00 pm EDT and will be hosted by renowned comedian, actress, and writer Cristela Alonzo.
The digital event is structured as a late night show that will feature comedy, music and lively conversations about feminism, climate justice, coping with Covid-19 and more. Guests include Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, George Lopez, Eva Longoria, Martin Sheen, Alfre Woodard, Esai Morales, Mark Hamill, Benjamin Bratt, Zoe Saldana, Matt McGorry, Joe & Jill Biden, Bill & Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, John Leguizamo, Danny Glover, Gina Rodriguez, Kerry Kennedy, Patrisse Cullors, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Common, Aloe Blacc, Maya Jupiter, Edward James Olmos, Kate del Castillo, the cast of Penny Dreadful and more. Musical guests include Carlos Santana and his wife Cindy Blackman, Sheila E. and her father legendary Latin percussionist Pete Escovedo, Grammy award-winning musical groups Ozomatli, and the Grammy nominated all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache.
For interviews with Dolores Huerta, please contact Damairis Lao at dlao@doloreshuerta.org.
Dolores Huerta and Leticia Perez encourage Kern County residents to get tested for Covid-19 to safely reopen society
MEDIA CONTACT: Damairis Lao | dlao@doloreshuerta.org
[BAKERSFIELD, CA] WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH, 2020- The Dolores Huerta Foundation in collaboration with Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez have created videos in English and Spanish to promote the new Covid-19 testing sites in Bakersfield to share widely on social media. Press is asked to air the videos and publish Dolores’ statement to spread awareness to the local community.
According to the Kern County Public Health Services Department, Hispanic people make up over 65% of Covid-19 cases in Kern County, a higher rate than all other ethnic groups combined. Many are at a higher risk because they are essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic. Yet, there are more barriers for Hispanic communities to access important health information and resources, in part because of language barriers or fear over their undocumented status. In order to control this pandemic, it is critical that special efforts be made to reach out to this community. More information about the testing site location, operating hours, and appointment process is provided in the transcript below.
Transcription:
“Hi, this is Dolores Huerta, bringing you information about testing for the Covid-19 virus that is free and open to everyone regardless of symptoms. The entire test takes only 15 minutes and the test results can be mailed to you within 24 hours at your email address and people can get tested as many times as they want. But remember to get tested, you have to make an appointment ahead of time. You can register at ProjectBaseline.com.
The testing site for Covid-19 is at the Richard Prado Center, 2101 Ridge Road at Mt. Vernon. The site is open from Sunday through Friday from 8 am to 11 am and from noon 12 to 2 pm. It is closed on Saturdays. This special test site at the Richard Prado Center is for us, our communities of color and our low-income communities, so that we can have access to free, safe, reliable testing and also to get information so that we can open up our society in a responsible way to make sure everyone is safe.
But we need your help to encourage everyone to get tested so that we can limit the risk of exposure. It is important to get tested whether you have symptoms or not to protect yourself, your family, and our communities. We can do this. ¡SI SE PUEDE!”
MEDIA CONTACT: Damairis Lao | dlao@doloreshuerta.org
[BAKERSFIELD, CA] APRIL 16, 2020 – Dolores Huerta, Founder and President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, issued the following statement today following Gov. Newsom’s announcement of $125 million in financial assistance for undocumented Californians:
“I want to thank the Governor and the leaders of the legislature for their leadership and courageous actions to secure financial assistance for undocumented Californians. They are integral to our economy and are most disproportionately impacted during this crisis. Farm workers, homecare workers, and childcare workers are essential frontline workers who are working every day to feed the nation and keep our communities safe but are especially vulnerable in this crisis.
We will continue working with our leaders in Sacramento to ensure we secure ongoing financial assistance for the lowest-income Californians. It has become even more evident during this crisis just how interconnected and interdependent we all are but we should not forget those who we cannot see, those who are invisible. To ensure a strong and thriving California for all, it is critical that we support everyone, including the undocumented, in our community.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Damairis Lao | dlao@doloreshuerta.org
[BAKERSFIELD, CA] TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020- Dolores Huerta Foundation celebrates Cesar Chavez day by asking people to stand with farm workers and advocate for their well being. They are among the most vulnerable populations in this devastating pandemic. DHF is asking people to write letters to the governor and contact their elected officials to remind them that farmworkers, regardless of immigration status, need immediate support to stay fed & housed. We can meet this moment & protect our most valuable and vulnerable members of society.
Dolores Huerta, President and Founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and Co-Founder of the United Farm Workers stated, “Today, we celebrate Cesar Chavez on what would have been his 93rd birthday by honoring the farmworkers who continue to work every single day to produce the food that nourishes us. Farmworkers cannot shelter at home during this pandemic. Farmworkers are part of our frontline defenders, an extremely necessary part of our society that we all depend upon to live and survive. Farmworkers need to be recognized and respected for their dedication and courage and be granted the resources to survive the pandemic like other workers in our country regardless of their immigration status.
Cesar brought that message to the world and demanded dignity and human rights for farmworkers. Let us continue Cesar’s journey and honor him by continuing his quest until all farmworker families, men, women and their children are treated equally with living wages, an equitable education and full representation.
Cesar also respected and advocated for the protection of Mother Earth. Earth Day, which we started 50 years ago, was one of Cesar’s highest priorities. He was a leading spokesperson for protecting the environment, animals and nature. During this difficult time that we are living in, let’s remember Cesar, his vision, his work, his principals and the many sacrifices he made by joining his journey for justice.”
WHO: The Dolores Huerta Foundation as part of the Kern Education Justice Collaborative (KEJC), KHSD students, parents, educators, and community members
WHEN: Thursday, January 30th, 2020 at 5:30 pm
WHERE: March starts at Ross Store at 3761 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309 and ends at West High School at 1200 New Stine Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93309
PHOTO OP: Press Conference at 6:30 pm in front of West High School after march. Speakers include parents, youth, and teachers who will list out their demands.
*Note: There will be two press check-in points to pick up your press pass. One will be during the march if you’re walking with the demonstrators. The other will be at the press conference at 6:30 pm. You do not need to check in at both.
BACKGROUND: Six years ago, community members, civil rights lawyers, and community organizations filed a lawsuit against the Kern High School District (KHSD) to end discriminatory discipline practices that targeted black and brown students and deprived them of their right to an education.
This Thursday, the KEJC and community members will demand the KHSD to be transparent in its progress reports and to faithfully implement the agreements of the settlement that will create a positive school environment and improve social, emotional, and academic outcomes for black and brown students.
To this date:
KHSD has failed to hire diverse teachers. This year, KHSD only hired 2% black teachers, 29% latino, and 68% white.
While suspensions and expulsions have gone significantly down, students are being pushed into continuation schools at alarming rates. Continuation schools don’t have the same resources as comprehensive schools, meaning that students will not be college ready when graduating. In 2017-18, continuation schools had a 48% graduation rate. Although African American students only make up 8% of the KHSD population, they attend continuation schools at higher rates. For example, Vista Continuation School has 14% African American students and only has a 36% graduation rate. In 2018-19, Vista West Continuation School had 21 Special education students and only one special education teacher.
Black students continue to have disproportionate rates for voluntary transfers, involuntary transfers, and are still being suspended at 2-3 more times than their white peers.
Jane Fonda’s 11th consecutive “Fire Drill Friday” focused on climate change’s impact on health
PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Damairis Lao | dlao@doloreshuerta.org
[WASHINGTON, D.C.]December 20, 2019–
“I am honored to join Jane Fonda on the eve of her 82nd birthday, Gloria Steinem and over 100 people today at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington DC to protest the climate crisis. Not enough people are taking the climate crisis seriously.
We are gradually ruining our planet, our existence is at stake. Air pollution affects all of us. It affects our food supply. People need to realize that our lives and the health of our children are affected.
I’m from Bakersfield in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Sixty percent of our nation’s food supply comes from the San Joaquin Valley of California, an area experiencing the worst air quality in the nation. We owe something to the farm workers that are working and living in the worst climate in the country as they work so hard to feed our country and the world.
We must engage our decision makers to take action. The best action we can take is to meet with local politicians, state representatives, and congressional representatives to pass a Green New Deal, to provide public transportation, to demand an end to fracking, to protect our water supply, and to transition from gas to clean energy.
We have to get involved to stop environmental injustice and work together for environmental justice. We have the power to protect ourselves, future generations, and our humanity.”
“Dolores Huerta Elementary School may be a new name for the Glen Park campus this year but they’re still working on living up to that identity.
The San Francisco Board of Education approved the name change in Augustbut murals, signage, plaques, and books for its community to recognize the full meaning of its new namesake costs money. In turn, parents on a name change committee launched a GoFundMe to raise $20,000 to fully honor Huerta, a longtime labor leader who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association with Cesar Chavez and coined the phrase “Sí, se puede.”
“Our school is where we want to teach students the power of voice, the power of presence, the power of being, the power of standing up for dignity and fighting for equity, embodying the life lessons and activism of someone like Dolores Huerta,” said Luis Rodriguez, Dolores Huerta Elementary principal, in October. “By adopting the name of a strong Latina leader, we also would like to send a message of empowerment to all our female students, particularly our female students of color.”
We appreciate all you do to work for justice. We are proud to stand with you in expanding the organizing power of our communities to make real and lasting change. The Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) have made incredible gains by engaging with school boards to push for education reform to achieve better academic outcomes for their children, in advocating to local elected boards to demand fair and just representation, and increasing voter participation in local and general elections. At our first Annual Vecinos Unidos Leadership Conference in 2019 we brought together hundreds of youth and adult leaders from the nine Vecinos Unidos chapters in Kern, Tulare, and Fresno counties.
We are pleased to share the launch of our Youth and Family Civic Engagement Initiative (YFCEI) program. We are developing the leaders of the future. These young people are learning about civic institutions, public speaking, and developing an understanding of meaningful leadership and self-expression through art and poetry and hands on civic engagement opportunities.
In 2017, Governor Brown declared April 10th Dolores Huerta in the state of California. We hope we can count on you to help us make this a day that extends beyond California to inspire people to learn more about the power of grassroots community organizing and to volunteer in service of their local communities. In addition, the DHF Education Department worked with a team of expert educators to create the Dolores Huerta Curriculum which we hope will be adopted by school districts to teach civil rights and community organizing.
We share our excitement and gratitude with you as we celebrate 15 years of organizing communities to pursue justice and look hopefully towards the future!
Thank you for being a part of this movement! I feel honored and privileged to spend my days working together to inspire and organize communities to build volunteer-based organizations empowered to pursue social justice.
California Values Act or better known as the “sanctuary state” bill, SB 54 would keep our people safe and decrease the fear and vulnerability they face when out in the community. A “common sense law” that protects and helps “our schools, hospitals, courthouses and libraries be safe spaces for our community members despite birthplace, background or appearance,” is what we are fighting for in 2017.
“We must take a clear stand for our deepest values: All people are created equal and deserve due process.
From The Monitor: “She inspires and empowers. No matter the age or the gender a true leader inspires through their actions and their words. La lucha sigue and “at age 87, Dolores Huerta continues to stand at the forefront of the fight for human rights with the same ganas and stamina of the fearless 32-year-old woman who formed the first farm workers union with Cesar Chavez in 1962…”
“Do you know that the voter registration laws in Texas are the same as the ones we fought to change in California in 1953?” Dolores said in her unmistakable stern voice.
“All that a person has is his or her story… and when you are trying to deny them their story, you are taking away their power.” she added, repeating a line she said during an interview in the late 1970s that comes out toward the end of the 98-minute film.
”We can’t rely on the media we need to make sure we get our stories Into the textbooks,” she added in her unmistakable stern voice. “We need to push for ethnic and Chicano studies in our schools.”
Immediate Release: June 9, 2017
Contact: Dean Welliver
DHF Equality Organizer
dwelliver@doloreshuerta.org
661-322-3033 ext. 1218
Bakersfield LGBTQ and the Dolores Huerta Foundation to host “Stand Up, Speak Out” March
Who: Bakersfield LGBTQ , the Dolores Huerta Foundation, members and allies of the LGBTQ Community
What: “Stand Up, Speak Out” March and Rally to commemorate and honor victims of June 11th, 2016 Pulse Nightclub massacre and to advocate for LGBTQ rights
When: Sunday, June 11th, 2017 from 8:30 – 10:30 AM
Where: Meeting point HomeGoods parking lot (5510 Stockdale Hwy) and march to First Congregational Church (5 Real Road) in Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, CA – Bakersfield LGBTQ and the Dolores Huerta Foundation have joined forces to host the Bakersfield “Stand Up, Speak Out March” in conjunction with the National Pride March on Washington D.C. and solidarity marches across the nation on Sunday, June 11th, 2017. The march will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Orlando Nightclub shooting, where 49 attendees were murdered and 53 others injured at the gay nightclub on Latin night. This massacre marks the largest hate crime targeted at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) community in American History.
The “Stand Up, Speak Out” March will honor and remember those who lost their lives or were injured in the June 11th massacre and mobilize the Bakersfield community to advocate for legislation and policies that promote the well-being of LGBTQ persons and their access to opportunities for success locally and around the world.
The march will end at First Congregational Church with speakers that seek to mobilize people into action to:
· Support Health Care for All
· Embrace Trans People
· Fight Bi-Erasure
· Validate Non-Binary People
· End Stigma of HIV
· Stop the Chechen Genocide
Bakersfield LGBTQ and the Dolores Huerta Foundation call on the Bakersfield LGBTQ community to urge their representatives to intervene in the budding genocide of gay men in Chechnya to ensure equality and safety for all LGBTQ people globally.
In Chechnya, Russia men who have sex with other men or are suspected of being gay are being blackmailed, sent to concentration camps, tortured with beatings and electro-shocks, and being killed all for being LGBTQ. Alvi Karimov, spokesman for Ramzan Kadyrov the Head of the Chechen Republic, has disputed the claims of anti-gay repression stating that there are no gay people living in Chechnya. In an interview he stated that; “You cannot detain and persecute people who simply do not exist in the republic. If there were such people in Chechnya, the law-enforcement organs wouldn’t need to have anything to do with them because their relatives would send them somewhere from which there is no returning.”
Attendees will learn how to support the bisexual community. Bi-erasure is the tendency to question or deny the legitimacy and existence of bisexuality. According to the Bisexual Resource Center, bisexuals face higher rates of anxiety, depression, STIs, heart disease, and tobacco use than heterosexuals, gay men, and lesbians. Fighting bi-erasure is paramount to the inclusion of bisexuals in society and to reducing health disparities for bisexuals.
Attendees will also be asked to sign a pledge card asking their legislators and elected officials to support legislation such as SB 179, the Gender Recognition Act, SB 239 Modernizing Discriminatory HIV Criminalization Laws, and SB 421 Tiered System for California Sex Offender Registry.
SB 179, the Gender Recognition Act of 2017, authored by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Sen. Scott Wiener, will enable transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to obtain state-issued identity documents that accurately reflect their gender identity. The bill creates a third, nonbinary gender marker on California birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, identity cards and gender-change court orders, in addition to streamlining the processes for a person to change their gender marker and name on these identifying documents. This bill will make California the first state to legally allow someone to be legally recognized as non-male and non-female.
SB 239, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), modernizes California laws criminalizing and stigmatizing people living with HIV to reflect current understanding of HIV prevention and treatment. It eliminates HIV-specific criminal laws that impose harsh and draconian penalties, including for activities that pose no risk of transmitting HIV. This bill is supported by public health officials because laws that criminalize HIV discourage people from getting tested and from seeking treatment, which impedes public health objectives of eliminating transmission of HIV. SB 239 would make HIV subject to the laws that apply to other serious communicable diseases, removing discrimination and stigma for people living with HIV and furthering public health. The bill is cosponsored by the Equality California, ACLU of California, APLA Health, Black AIDS Institute, Lambda Legal and Positive Women’s Network – USA.
SB 421 would replace California’s existing universal lifetime registration requirement for sex offenses with a tiered system based on the seriousness of the crime, the risk of reoffending and criminal history. There are over 100,000 registrants in California, far more than any other state, and California is one of only four states with a universal lifetime registry. Equality California is cosponsoring this bill to address the unfair circumstance of LGBT people who were targeted and often entrapped on charges that required registration when their actual actions hurt no one, including for simply engaging in same-sex contact when that action was criminalized in the past. These members of the LGBT community were required to register as sex offenders for life even though their convictions are now decades old and the law and its enforcement have changed, and the basis for many of these arrests was due to anti-LGBT discrimination and police entrapment. This bill would remove these people from the registry along with others in similar circumstances and put a new, efficient, risk-based system in place. This bill is cosponsored by Equality California, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA).
Dolores Huerta Foundation to host Bakersfield Community Health Photovoice Townhall
Who: Dolores Huerta Foundation’s Teen 4 Equality in collaboration with UCLA and Cultiva la Salud (Cultivating Health)
What: Photovoice Townhall explores health challenges and successes in Kern County through youth’s eyes
When: Friday, June 9th, 2017 from 5:00 – 6:30 PM
Where: Kern County Superintendent of Schools Access Building, 1330 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA – The Dolores Huerta Foundation will be hosting a Bakersfield Community Health Photovoice Townhall to engage educators, policy makers, elected officials, and the general community in conversations about the health challenges and successes that youth have identified in their community through the Photovoice project. Confirmed attendees include, Bryan Batey, KHSD Board of Trustees member, and Bob Smith, Bakersfield City Council Ward 4 and Vice Mayor. Other elected officials, including Rudy Salas and Zach Scrivner, have committed to sending representatives.
Photovoice pairs photographical documentation and written narrative to show decision makers health through the eyes of local youth. Photovoice allows youth the opportunity to share the solutions youth have envisioned to issues such as safe routes to school, healthy school meals, improved road maintenance, and improved access to public transportation.
The Dolores Huerta Foundation is a (501) non-profit dedicated to creating networks of healthy, organized communities pursuing social justice through systematic and structural transformation. Our youth program, Teens 4 Equality, has partnered with UCLA and Cultiva La Salud to conduct this Bakersfield Community Health Photovoice Townhall. This project offers high school youth in Kern County the opportunity to share their photos and narratives representing health challenges or successes in Kern County. The purpose is to inform and engage educators, policy makers, elected officials, and the general community in conversations about how to support these successes and what solutions the youth envision for the challenges. This is an opportunity engage with young people in our community who are actively seeking solutions to community issues that directly affect them.
Kern Education Justice Collaborative offers LCAP workshops and encourages community to get involved in school budget process
Who: Kern Education Justice Collaborative, Dolores Huerta Foundation and Faith in Kern
What: Press Conference to announce free LCAP involvement training sessions and to encourage community participation in the LCAP Process
Where: Bakersfield High School, Corner of 14th and G Street, Bakersfield, CA (Across the street from BHS Harvey Auditorium)
When: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
Bakersfield, CA – Kern High School District’s proposed 2017 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) has been released. LCAP plans will soon be released by all local school districts. At its core, the LCAP is designed to ensure that everyone has a voice in determining how funds can best support students. The Kern Education Justice Collaborative is holding a press conference to encourage the community to get involved and to announce a series of free workshops designed to train parents, students, and community members on how to provide valuable input to their respective districts on how to best allocate available resources to meet students’ needs. Parent engagement makes a significant difference in a child’s relationship to school and success. Studies show that students exhibit stronger attendance, pass more classes, earn more credits, are more likely to graduate on time, and less likely to drop-out. Students earn higher grade point averages and score higher on standardized tests. Students also improve behavior both at home and school.
In 2013, the state dramatically changed the way it funds school districts across the state by adopting the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). In addition to reversing cuts made during the Great Recession, the new law directs added resources to higher-need school districts, by giving them Supplemental and Concentration grant funding – equity-based dollars – tied to the number of low income, foster youth, and English learner students in each district. LCFF also gives districts more flexibility than they’d had in the past by replacing a host of “categorical” funding programs, which had strict requirements on what state dollars must be spent on, with more flexible grants that can be allocated to meet local needs.
To ensure that districts used their new flexibility wisely, the state also required them to meet new transparency and accountability standards. In particular, districts are required to publish a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) each year, which lays out their priorities and lists the specific actions and funding the district will leverage to accomplish those goals. Districts are required to consult with the community, including students, parents, and teachers, while developing their LCAPs.
The result of these changes is that districts are seeing increased investment from the state, and are also being called upon to more effectively match resources to student need. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is the formula for determining the level of state funding provided to districts across California. The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is LCFF’s vehicle for transparency and engagement. It is the way that school districts are expected to share and collect data, needs, actions and anticipated outcomes that guide the use of available funding. The intent of the legislation behind the LCFF is “equity” meaning the LCAP budget should reflect an increase and improved services for the neediest students: low Income, English Language Learners and Foster Youth.
In the proposed LCAP, more than half of KHSD’s equity-based dollars will go to district-wide expenditures (55%), rather than being targeted to specific campuses. Of the $48 million KHSD receives for high-need students, only $15.7 million, or 32%, is allocated by school site. While many of the District’s campuses are likely to need the services and programs set out in the “All Sites” category, it nonetheless appears that KHSD can be more aggressive about ensuring that more dollars go to the specific schools with the highest need.
Only 32% of Kern High graduates meet the A-G eligibility requirements with a C or better, allowing them to enter a four-year public university – this is more than 10 points below the state average of 43%. This overall level reflects considerable disparities: white students fare the best at 38%, Latina/o students at 29%, and Black students at 25%. The socioeconomically disadvantaged are only passing A-G courses at 21%. Only 1.5% of English language learners are UC/CSU eligible.
Kern High School District has high suspension rates with 5,471 out-of-school suspensions, with 22% of suspensions for willful defiance, plus 2,760 in-school suspensions with 90% being attributed to willful defiance. African Americans represent 16% of all school suspensions even though they represent only 5.9% of the population. For health indicators, only 20% of students are scoring in the healthy fitness zone for 9th graders for body composition and 11.7% for aerobic capacity. School disciplinary policies and parent engagement are two significant factors that not only impact a student’s educational outcome but also their health.
Harsh disciplinary school practices, such as suspension and expulsion, have a negative correlation with student health. They push students away from having a strong level of connectedness with school, which is an important protective factor for preventing tobacco, alcohol and other drug use. Increased parent engagement is another protective factor to prevent these behaviors, and improve positive academic achievement. It is crucial that the community get involved in the LCAP process to address these disparities and make recommendations to help Kern High School District take advantage of the changes created by LCFF to improve the health and educational outcomes of its students.
Trainings are as follows:
BAKERSFIELD WORKSHOPS – KHSD/BCSD
Session 1: General LCAP Overview
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
5:30 PM – 8 PM
Access Building
1330 Truxtun Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Session 2: LCAP Analysis and Recommendations
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
5:30 PM – 8 PM
506 E. Brundage Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93307
SOUTH KERN /GREENFIELD WORKSHOPS – AUSD/LESD/VSD/GUSD
Session 1: General LCAP Overview
Thursday, May 18, 2017
5:30 PM – 8 PM
Immediate Release: May 23, 2017
Contact: Gerald Cantu, Ph.D.
Civic Engagement Director
gcantu@doloreshuerta.org
O: 661-322-3033 ext. 1209, C: 661-249-0219
Kern Education Justice Collaborative offers LCAP workshops and encourages community to get involved in school budget process
Who: Kern Education Justice Collaborative, Dolores Huerta Foundation and Faith in Kern
What: Press Conference to announce free LCAP involvement training sessions and to encourage community participation in the LCAP Process
Where: Bakersfield High School, Corner of 14th and G Street, Bakersfield, CA (Across the street from BHS Harvey Auditorium)
When: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
Bakersfield, CA – Kern High School District’s proposed 2017 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) has been released. LCAP plans will soon be released by all local school districts. At its core, the LCAP is designed to ensure that everyone has a voice in determining how funds can best support students. The Kern Education Justice Collaborative is holding a press conference to encourage the community to get involved and to announce a series of free workshops designed to train parents, students, and community members on how to provide valuable input to their respective districts on how to best allocate available resources to meet students’ needs. Parent engagement makes a significant difference in a child’s relationship to school and success. Studies show that students exhibit stronger attendance, pass more classes, earn more credits, are more likely to graduate on time, and less likely to drop-out. Students earn higher grade point averages and score higher on standardized tests. Students also improve behavior both at home and school.
In 2013, the state dramatically changed the way it funds school districts across the state by adopting the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). In addition to reversing cuts made during the Great Recession, the new law directs added resources to higher-need school districts, by giving them Supplemental and Concentration grant funding – equity-based dollars – tied to the number of low income, foster youth, and English learner students in each district. LCFF also gives districts more flexibility than they’d had in the past by replacing a host of “categorical” funding programs, which had strict requirements on what state dollars must be spent on, with more flexible grants that can be allocated to meet local needs.
To ensure that districts used their new flexibility wisely, the state also required them to meet new transparency and accountability standards. In particular, districts are required to publish a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) each year, which lays out their priorities and lists the specific actions and funding the district will leverage to accomplish those goals. Districts are required to consult with the community, including students, parents, and teachers, while developing their LCAPs.
The result of these changes is that districts are seeing increased investment from the state, and are also being called upon to more effectively match resources to student need. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is the formula for determining the level of state funding provided to districts across California. The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is LCFF’s vehicle for transparency and engagement. It is the way that school districts are expected to share and collect data, needs, actions and anticipated outcomes that guide the use of available funding. The intent of the legislation behind the LCFF is “equity” meaning the LCAP budget should reflect an increase and improved services for the neediest students: low Income, English Language Learners and Foster Youth.
*In the proposed LCAP, more than half of KHSD’s equity-based dollars will go to district-wide expenditures (55%), rather than being targeted to specific. Of the $48 million KHSD receives for high-need students, only $15.7 million, or 32%, is allocated by school site. While many of the District’s campuses are likely to need the services and programs set out in the “All Sites” category, it nonetheless appears that KHSD can be more aggressive about ensuring that more dollars go to the specific schools with the highest need.
*Only 32% of Kern High graduates meet the A-G eligibility requirements with a C or better, allowing them to enter a four-year public university – this is more than 10 points below the state average of 43%. This overall level reflects considerable disparities: white students fare the best at 38%, Latina/o students at 29%, and Black students at 25%. The socioeconomically disadvantaged are only passing A-G courses at 21%. Only 1.5% of English language learners are UC/CSU eligible.
*Kern High School District has high suspension rates with 5,471 out-of-school suspensions, with 22% of suspensions for willful defiance, plus 2,760 in-school suspensions with 90% being attributed to willful defiance. African Americans represent 16% of all school suspensions even though they represent only 5.9% of the population. For health indicators, only 20% of students are scoring in the healthy fitness zone for 9th graders for body composition and 11.7% for aerobic capacity. School disciplinary policies and parent engagement are two significant factors that not only impact a student’s educational outcome but also their health.
Harsh disciplinary school practices, such as suspension and expulsion, have a negative correlation with student health. They push students away from having a strong level of connectedness with school, which is an important protective factor for preventing tobacco, alcohol and other drug use. Increased parent engagement is another protective factor to prevent these behaviors, and improve positive academic achievement. It is crucial that the community get involved in the LCAP process to address these disparities and make recommendations to help Kern High School District take advantage of the changes created by LCFF to improve the health and educational outcomes of its.
*Information derived from the Advancement Project Policy Brief 2017. The full text is available upon request.
Trainings are as follows:
BAKERSFIELD WORKSHOPS – KHSD/BCSD
Session 1: General LCAP Overview
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
5:30 PM – 8 PM
Access Building
1330 Truxtun Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Session 2: LCAP Analysis and Recommendations
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
5:30 PM – 8 PM
506 E. Brundage Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93307
SOUTH KERN /GREENFIELD WORKSHOPS – AUSD/LESD/VSD/GUSD
Session 1: General LCAP Overview
Thursday, May 18, 2017
5:30 PM – 8 PM
Dinner and childcare will be provided at all trainings.
Training based on A Parent’s Guide to School Funding: Learning the Fundamentals About LCFF and LCAP, produced by Families in Schools: Building Partnerships for Student Success. Full text available upon request.
Who: The Dolores Huerta Foundation in collaboration with Building Healthy Communities, South Kern and the California Endowment
What: Presentation of the film “Raising Zoey” followed by a panel discussion with film stars Ofelia and Zoey and director Dante Alencastre
When: Wednesday, May 17, 2017, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Where: Maya Cinemas, 1000 California Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93304
Register on Eventbrite to RSVP @https://www.facebook.com/events/267825010346230
Bakersfield, CA – Raising Zoey is a heartwarming film about a family faced with the insurmountable challenges of a youth’s gender transition. This pioneering documentary, RAISING ZOEY, which follows one of Los Angeles’ bravest, and youngest, trans rights activists, Zoey Luna (last year’s LA Pride’s Grand Marshall) just after winning a case against her school district for discrimination, as she begins hormone treatments and publicly advocates for change with her mother and sister always by her side. From Latino filmmaker, Dante Alencastre.
Instinctively and unconditionally supporting her daughter’s journey, Ofelia reaches out to a community beyond her resources for guidance and knowledge. “Zoey is not special because she is trans. She is special because she is my child.”
Join Zoey Luna, her mother Ofelia, and director Dante Alencastre for a panel after the screening
The Dolores Huerta Foundation Equality Program partners with community organizations and community members throughout Kern County and California to advance and protect the rights of the LGBT community while promoting inclusion and their wellbeing. The Dolores Huerta Foundation Equality Team has initiated a youth-led bilingual public awareness campaign to promote family acceptance, safer school climate, and come together to discuss strategies and solutions for improving issues negatively affecting LGBT youth. In addition, they have created public education workshops and trainings to inform allies and the community at large in Kern County about LGBT identity, rights, and culture.
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