Local Control Starts with People Power
The pandemic has exposed like never before our society’s inequities including those faced by students that come from historically disenfranchised communities including: English Language Learners, low-income students, foster youth and students experiencing homelessness. Given the tools and support to be agents of change, those most impacted by the inequities can lead us to real transformative solutions. The Dolores Huerta Foundation has been working with our Vecinos Unidos® members to make sure their voices are centered in the school district budgeting process.
Throughout the months of March and April, the Dolores Huerta Foundation Education team provided parents with the knowledge and tools to make their voices heard to demand that school districts provide the support students in the Kern, Tulare and Fresno counties need. DHFs education department hosted four trainings focused on the school district budgeting process known as the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) with 45 Vecinos Unidos® members in attendance. As an outcome of our LCAP training, parents were empowered to host their own LCAP community town halls and invite school district leadership such as Superintendents, School board members, and Directors of Student Services to share their experiences to influence next year’s budget. In April, we hosted two regional LCAP community town halls with 28 Vecinos Unidos® members advocating for 35 LCAP recommendations to six district leadership representatives. All recommendations focused on the improvement of mental health services, school meal access, more nutritious school meals, and better parent engagement for all parents. Empowered parents, students, and community members will continue to advocate to close the educational inequities through the school budgeting process. Want to get involved? Please contact Ashley De La Rosa: adelarosa@doloreshuerta.org, Ph: 661.322.3033 ext. 1231
