001Harris: The rules for public testimony are on the screen. And I implore you I beg you I ask you to follow said rules. One doesn't like to gavel down folks. Giving testimony because we need your testimony two minutes it goes by very very quickly with 30 seconds left you'll see the yellow light when the red light comes on. Please conclude your remarks. We do not take comments on individually named staff. You will be ruled out of order. Also like to remind you that you need to spend the majority of your time testifying on the topics that you signed up for. And with that would you please read the top the three people on the front of the list. And then if you could stand back and we can roll through this and keep our board
002directors moving. Thank you so much. Martinez: First up her public testimony we have Naj Ali followed by Josiah Vaomnu and Joanne Pinkham Nahj. Josiah. Speaker 1: I'm Josiah Vaomnu. I'm [indistinct] Arapahoe I'm a student. This is a letter from my mother to the Seattle School District in support of a Native focused Academy. She writes I'm submitting this letter on behalf of myself and my family who are enrolled tribal members of the nothern Arapahoe tribe. I would love to encourage Seattle School District to restore Indian heritage schools. Most recently my family has been affected by the lack of native culture and values in the Seattle Public Schools. My niece who I've taken care of since age 8 years old left and attended Chemawa Indian School located in Salem Oregon. She left because she could not thrive
003socially while attending Seattle public schools. For years I encouraged her to apply herself and school social events sports counseling and mentorships but she continued to withdraw. She had evident in her social skills she had no friends during her entire sixth and seventh grade year. The friends that she had in eighth grade year were a few of them and another Native American students she had met meet. In the meantime while attending Native American events since I could see her that she had struggled socially I asked her one day why it was so hard for her. She stated that she had felt like she did not belong and I asked her why she had felt that way. So she began to tell them most of the students who attended her school spoke different languages and that they
004each spoke and that they each had their own culture. Who looks like dresses like them and those same students identified them with each other. And on the other hand she was one of a handful of Native American students who attend her school. She always had decent grades. I could see her applying herself to her daily homework school assignments and I could see a sense of disappointment when it came to friends. Social events or attending school itself. This is why I made the decision to send her to all native boarding school. If I had a closer option as an Indian Heritage School I would send her and keep her home. This is why it is important Seattle public schools to recognize that the Native American students need a place where they feel like they belong. The
005place where they thrive socially and academically not at school three hours away. My hope is that this letter is that you restore and Indian Heritage school a school for native American students who feel overlooked and feel that they don't belong. We'll have a good quality school to attend. Ethnics Studies now. Martinez: Joanne after Joanne we will have Aneesa Roidad followed by Alli Shinn Marlowe Barrington. Speaker 2: Dear Seattle school board members and Superintendent Nyland. My name is Joanne Pinkham. [Indistinct*] and Im in the seventh grade. I am a student at Hazel Wolf my father is director Scott Pinkham. Hi Dad. I'm here to support. I'm in support of a native focus option High School for the for the past three years I have provided testimony of the district to asking asking that the American Indian
006Heritage School be reopened. As you know that never happened. And that is why I'm here again today. The reason why I started coming to testify was because the school district provides it prides itself on being inclusive. They claim that every student matters. Yet the District continues to ignore me. They ignore my sister Molly who at one point pushed herself to the edge of suicide. Yes my sister complic contemplated suicide. I am so thankful that she got help and is doing extremely well in the native focused college. She made the presidents and Dean's list for the past two years. She's also awarded the [indistinct] scholarship for academic excellence. In the past February. Superintendent has gone to great lengths to see to that native focus high school remains closed The school district has pushed Native students out
007and ignored them. You know this because this district collected data that shows Seattle schools have failed Native students like my sister and I. Many students and many students here tonight you know that they pushout rate is 50 percent higher than any other student and he know that those numbers are far higher than nationally than the national average. Yet you choose to ignore them. My sister and I helped campaign for our dad to be elected to the school board because of the mistreated mistreatment by our teachers and principals. Some of them are incredibly horrible and then I wonder why they choose to teach it. Is it to ruin native students lives? Is it to see there to see some students are mistreated. I know that 70 years ago my grandmother went to a boarding school where
008she was treated the same way in the 21st century. The school's teachers some board members are. And Superintendent continues to mistreat students. It is unbearable. Ethnic Studies now. Martinez: Vanessa Aneesa I'm sorry Speaker 3: OK I'm going to start. Yes hello my name is Aneesa. I'm a student at Ballard High School. Ethnic Studies has been on the boards radar for a while. You've passed resolutions in support of ethnic studies. But that is not enough. Parents teachers and students want ethnic studies now as I'm sure you're familiar with research conducted on ethnic studies courses shows they're beneficial to students of color and white students socially and academically. They increase student engagement achievement and foster more positive learning and. More positive attitudes towards learning. Personally I've never had an ethnic studies course which is part of the
009problem anyway. But up until my world history class this year I hadn't learned about places outside of the U.S. save learning about ancient Egypt in the third grade. I am Pakistani. And this year was the first year Pakistan was even mentioned in one of my social studies classes. It was the first year Islam was addressed outside of the context of Islamic terrorism and talked about in terms of its actual religious doctrines and its accomplishments. So many different ethnicities are overlooked and or portrayed in terms of Europeans. This creates narrow and misinformed views of other people and damages students confidence about their own culture. If the school board is serious about ethnic studies. Action needs to be taken. A timeline needs to be established for ethnic studies that the studies Development Group the ethnic studies curriculum
010development needs to be supported and Ethnic Studies needs to be added as a graduation requirement. Thank you very much. Speaker 4: Hi. Throughout my time in high school I've been privileged enough to have teachers who went above and beyond to teach history. That was true complete and relevant. This is no thanks to this district but thanks to incredible teachers that spend countless hours working to build lessons and curriculum that is not Eurocentric and it is comprehensive. Were it not for a ninth grade language arts teacher that built her own race in America unit. Our school would have no antiracist club that makes. Making serious strides on the issues of race and equity our school faces. She taught it in a way that created a safe classroom environment where students felt empowered to engage in a
011discussion and as a result they took action on the issues they learned about. Were it not for the teachers that teach my humanities block I would not have been taught to read and analyze with a critical eye and to always check my sources. The Ethnic Studies curriculum must be built with the help and guidance of teachers who understand the challenges of teaching topics that are seen as controversal in order to be competent in teaching this curriculum. Teachers need to know that they will be backed up. And teachers must be trained in facilitating conversations about issues of race in order to prevent students of color from being tokenized and forced to speak for their entire community. The current plan to embed ethnic studies into all curriculums K through 12 seems great on the surface. However there
012is no clear transparent timeline and at the high school level an independent ethnic studies as a graduation requirement would allow students to dive in-depth into the history struggles and triumphs of all cultures. Ethnic Studies would give students the knowledge that they need to understand the systems of racism and oppression that our country is built on and the skills to dismantle them. History is story. Stories create humanity and humanity creates compassion. It is my belief that compassion is what will change the world. So how do we expect students to become meaningful productive members of society when there are pages missing from our history books and stories missing from our curriculum. Sounds like you guys are doing a lot of work on ethics studies. We don't hear about any of that. So if you want it to
013seem like you're doing work then you need to go to the students and say this is what we're doing because we don't have hours to dig through public record and figure that out. We're not hearing about that at all. Thank you. Oh please reinstate a native centered high school. Harris: Can I ask you which schools the teachers that you mention that put together curriculum that matter to you. Which schools are they are at? Speaker 4: Ballard High School. Martinez: After Marlowe we will have Chris Jackins followed by Vicki Pinkham and Thomas Spear Speaker 5: I would like to cede my time to Sue Stahl. Speaker 6: Hello I'm Sue Stahl. I taught at Ballard High School for 10 years and I'm now an instructor and content coach in the University of Washington secondary teacher education
014program. I also teach a course called race race culture and identity in the classroom at UW Bothell mainly populated by juniors and seniors who are pursuing their elementary teaching certification. Ethnic Studies is very much on the minds of people who are training to be teachers graduate and undergraduate students in my education classes are keenly aware of the need for this curriculum at all levels and are eager to learn when and how they will be trained to teach it. I have a peripheral. I have been a peripheral observer as dozens of students and SPS teachers have mobilized to demand mandatory ethnic studies at all grade levels in SPS I appreciate that there has been some progress I understand you passed a resolution and that a task force is working on creating pilot curriculum and figuring out
015how to embed it into all courses and that there is now a timeline. I learned that about five minutes ago. Thank you. Such a timeline will cement the institutional commitment of Seattle Public Schools to creating a meaningful district wide ethnic studies program. I agree with other speakers that a distinct yearlong class that is a graduation requirement is necessary for high school students to learn the core concepts as well as the nuances of this complex topic. Students of color at all grade levels have experienced barriers to their own education due to lack of representation in school curriculum. There is growing awareness among their white counterparts of the need to learn about other cultures in order to be fully educated. Some of these students are here in this room right now and they have been working tirelessly
016to demonstrate how important this is for them and for their siblings and for all students attending our schools. These students report spending upwards of 12 hours per month lobbying for this curriculum. They are not paid for this time and it's time that they could be spending on school work or at jobs. I'm grateful to them for pressuring SPS staff to do what they are paid to do and recognizing and honoring the urgency of this issue. Thank you. Speaker 7: My name is Chris Jackins Box 8 4 0 6 3 Seattle 9 8 1 2 4. The personnel report does an after the fact vote on out of endorsement assignments comply with state law? On deaf and hard of hearing issues 2 points Number one at the superintendent candidate public forum on March 9th. There was
017not an interpreter for deaf and hard of hearing attendees. Number two I asked that the district allocate and on call interpreter on the guiding principles for the BEX V capital levy. Three points number one at a BEX V public meeting. I noted public opposition to the loss of playground space and I noted that the district plans to demolish a school building at Wing Luke that the district paid six million dollars to construct. Only 12 years ago. I have previously provided the documents to the district on these issues. Number two in response district staff told attendees at the public meeting that the Wing Luke example was not true and that neighborhoods were not unhappy about losing playground space. Number three it is not clear that the proposed guiding principals address such issues. On the expansion of
018Native American educational programming three points. Number one please support an amendment to establish a school in the tradition of the district's previous Indian Heritage High School Number two the incoming superintendent has indicated a familiarity with such schools. Number three the district is projecting a substantial budget surplus for next year. This is the time to make a down payment toward establishing such a school. Please vote yes. With that sort of amendment. Thank you very much. Speaker 8: My name is Vicki Pinkham I'm Tlingit. And from the [Native Name] clan of Angoon Alaska I'm here today to also read from statement from Herb LeBow. He's a Cheyenne River Sioux parent from the Seattle Public High School student here in the city. He's unable to make it tonight to this meeting but he'd like to address the school
019board. There are several as you know there are several schools in the city that focus on STEM APP and IB courses. The district claims that Licton Springs is a Native focus school. However it is a marginalized institution. The school has only 125 seats for students and does not have space to grow. Licton Springs is on the verge of being pushed out and it would be it could be speculated that the school plans to close the school. The school district planned to close the school. The district is preparing to install and block the native murals that they that were fought for to put back on the school at Robert Eagle Staff by putting in portables located at the former American Indian Heritage High School for the better part of 10 years that Native community has provided
020testimony to the district. Several thousand signatures were gathered asking that the American Indian high school be reopened. Former superintendents made promises to reopen the school and that has not happened. The school district prides itself on being inclusive and claims that every student matters Seattle public school has failed to effectively support native learners in Seattle Public Schools own data shows this the native dropout rate is 40 to 50 percent higher than its peers. And those numbers are even higher on a national level. The Native focus school can offer more than increased graduation rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives. It can educate an entire community. It can stop the ignorance that can stop the blinding marginalizing of high school dropout rates for American Indians. This could be your legacy. This could be something that you could
021stop. And I would venture to say. That. From what I've seen I don't think that you're going to be strong enough man enough to do this and that's unfortunate because my children matter. So much so that my husband is on this board. He wants to make a difference. We all want to make a difference. We all want to say that this is important to our children that it should not happen to your children. And if it did wouldn't you be standing here also tonight saying that. We want something better. We deserve something better. I implore you to listen to the voices here tonight. To listen to the things that have been said the past 10 years. And actually move and do something not just for the non natives but for every person of color that
022is coming up through this system. Please please do. Do not be as ignorant. As our president as the people that he's put in place and I just I ask you. Would you want your children to contemplate suicide. I. When I first heard her say that on graduation night. I was stunned. We’re college educated Indians. Was a first in our families to come forward and say we want this to stop. We've got principles in place. In this city that I have to wonder. What's wrong with them? Like my daughter said what is wrong with them that 70 years ago. My mother went to boarding school and was mistreated. That my children are being mistreated. It's unacceptable. You're going to be remembered. I would hope and pray. That you are going to be remembered for something good.
023Please listen to the kids. Now. And don't let another seven years go by. Thank you. Martinez: Thomas After Thomas who have Sarah Sense Wilson followed by Diamond Lestenkof. Speaker 9: Hello. Yes my name is Tom Spear my ancestral name is Luk Lawson. I'm Duwamish Tribe chief Seattle's one of Chief Seattle’s descendants from his daughter Princess Angeline. Tonight I've been asked to represent my colleague Robin Wilson who is Coeur d’alene and his teachers in our school system. Robin wrote ‘‘Dear school board members I'd like to speak on the topic of restoring Indian heritage high school a much needed safe place of academics culture and socio emotional learning for our Indigenous children and their families our Indigenous students have continued to experience the highest dropout rates and the lowest graduation rates compared to any other racial or
024ethnic group in Seattle Public Schools. This appalling trend is seen nationwide except in those instances where communities have stepped up to fight these inequities. For example the Pendleton Oregon school district's Nixya’awii community school a native focus school in Oregon has a graduation rate that is increased to almost 84 percent. When will Seattle public schools step up? A school specifically designed to support cultural knowledge while promoting positive tribal identity within an inclusive academically rigorous environment is what our school district needs to address inequities that other district alternative options schools have done for their marginalized ethnic groups. Please consider opening a native centered high school that will address the unique needs of our Indigenous population. Sincerely Robin Wilson’’ now have a second statement here it's very brief from Elizabeth Cooke Lynn of Crow Creek. She says “Native
025populations in America are not ethnic populations they are not minority populations neither immigrant nor tourist nor people of color. They are indigenous peoples of this continent. They are the landlords with very special political and cultural status in the realm of American identity and citizenship. Since 1924 they possess dual citizenship both tribal and United States and are the only population that has not been required to deny their previous national citizenship in order to possess the United States citizenship. They are known and documented as citizens by their tribal nations.” Thank you. Speaker 10: Good evening. My name is Sarah Sense Wilson. And I'd like and I'm Oglala Sioux. And I'm chairperson for UNEA volunteer. I want to thank the board for having the wisdom to hire a new superintendent of such stature and esteem. So I want
026to thank you all for seeing that there needs to be a different vision and a different direction for the school board for the school district. The as you all know Superintendent Nyland and leadership created an analysis on Indian education and from that analysis there was a report with recommendations the recommendations specifically state that they do not support having a native focused school which if you read the analysis carefully you will see numerous inaccuracies misguided information and very biased information throughout that entire analysis. And I would be happy to sit with all of you or any of you to go over that. I think it's very important that when you're given a report that is accurate and that decisions are made based on the accuracy. So I'm letting you know that there is a lot of
027information in there that's that misleading and misguided as a lot of you know throughout the last 10 years we've we've provided the district with the proposal and that proposal is a multistage move towards re-establishing a native focused school and we could call it whatever you want. I understand that there's a number of parent advisory committee people who have a disliking for the idea of the Indian heritage schools so if we want to call it an academy if we want to call it whatever but we do need a native focus school and we have broad based support. So the few people that you're listening to they do not represent the majority of supporters. You guys have seen us year after year after year bringing whether we're doing a rally where we're doing other testimony in support
028and sending you letters. It has broad based support so for you guys to ignore those voices that is so disrespectful. Is so disrespectful and to say that the parent advisory committee represents all 2900 some native students. That is a false misleading effort. And you're playing. A power play by allowing that to happen. So we have support from Red Eagle Soaring. We have support from the Seattle Canoes. We have support from the King County native American leadership. We have support from United Indians of All Tribes. We have support from the NAACP Seattle branch. We have support from the Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission Learn 28 and the list goes on and on and on. OK. So these are all very credible organizations and people that support this work to establish a native school. And I think
029that is being invalidated. And you guys are not hearing us. For whatever reason. Year after year after year. And I keep hearing about well we need data we need data the data is there. Pay attention and let's move. We can't afford to have our kids end up in juvie anymore on the streets or in addiction in institutions. This is a desperate place that we're in right now as you guys know the gentrification that's happening. The poverty levels and what's happening to our families we work directly with our families daily. OK. We are we we connect with all of our kids and we're seeing them what's happening to them day in day out and their struggle. And you guys are denying that you're denying their voice you're denying the help that they need and it hurts.
030It hurts the spirit of our community. So it's not going to happen with this superintendent. And so we're we're welcoming and ushering in a new era and we're excited at the hopefulness of the new leadership on the board. And we're hopeful that things are going to change. And you know as the president of the board you need to listen too. Because you have been here now. You've heard us year after year. Would you guys please back Scott Pinkham Yeah it's a risk. what isn’t? But with when you have cooperation and collaboration and partnership with all these these groups and community and families you can move mountains. But you're not allowing that to happen. So again I just thank you for your time. I appreciate it. And I want to thank all of the students and
031the families and the parents that made it down here tonight to support this. Thank you. Martinez: Diamond Speaker 11: My name is Diamond Lestenkof I'm not I go to Middle College High School. I am representing the resolution in support of native focused option High School the urban Native Education Alliance native warrior athletics and Seattle clear sky leadership council native High School resolution 2018 whereas we the members of the urban Native Education Alliance clear sky Native Youth Council and Native Warriors athletics invoke the blessings of the Creator and all our efforts and purpose to preserve native cultural values and promote the health safety and well-being of all native people do hereby establish and submit the following resolution and whereas we strive to dismantle the systemic race with racism and denial of support was experienced by native
032students in Seattle Public Schools educational communities and whereas Native students experience systemic racism cultural exclusion invisibility lack of culturally competent and relevant instruction and multiple institutional barriers to accessing resources support and opportunities for success. And whereas Native students and all other students of color are fundamentally deserving of educational equity dignity and respect. And whereas native learners report alarming rates of bullying and lack of inclusion within culturally intolerant hostile school environment. And whereas native native learners enrolled in SPS undercounted. However as SPS data indicates student enrollment at 2910 and whereas Clear Sky serves over 56 native SPS families and our data indicates all 56 families representing 86 native learners endorse and fully support of native focused option High School. And whereas a quality education is the birthright of every native student under treaty law federal law
033and Washington state law. Speaker 12: Hello my name is Amadanya Joseph Oguara I'm a Northgate Middle College high school senior and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Coleville Nation. Continuing off of this resolution whereas thirty one point five percent of native learners are identified for special education programs. Score 30 to 40 percent lower on state standardized testing than their white peers and only achieve a forty eight point forty eight percent ontime graduation rate according to Seattle Public Schools its own data and 74 percent of native learners qualify for free and reduced school lunches. And whereas SPS currently lacks any formative alternative high school for successfully and effectively addressing native student dropout and graduation rates a persistent acute and chronic educational crisis. And whereas Indian heritage high school under the leadership of Principal Robert
034Eagle Staff had an exceptional and well documented graduation rate 100 percent. From 1994 to 1996 matriculation and is recognized as a national model of public school funded success in serving urban Native learners and whereas Seattle Public Schools is leadership promised to revitalize Indian heritage collaborate and take part in authentic engagement for cooperative partnerships for supporting native learners and now therefore be it resolved that UNEA NWA and Clear Sky Leadership Council stand in support of restoring a native focus indigenous pedagogy Indian heritage model option high school in Seattle Public Schools and be it further resolved that UNEA NWA and clear sky leadership plan aligns with Seattle Public Schools policy 4270. The lead partners policy and not they could take the lead to ensure that compliance with the SPS treated strategic plan 2013 2018 goals would ensure
035educational excellence and equity for every student improve systems district wide to support academic outcomes and meet students need and strengthen school and family and community engagement. And I am very much for supporting and expanding ethnic studies due to that I have not learned much about my own native culture here in Washington state. There was nothing on Native American history. Not even of the Native American tribes here in Washington State it's like it never happened in any learning that we did do on Native American tribes was about their interactions with settlers and colonists very Eurocentric perspective indeed as it always has been. Thank you. Martinez: Next up the testimony we have Aidan Carroll followed by Brian Terry and Pamela. Speaker 13: Hello. My name is Aidan Carroll and I'm going to read two letters from supporters
036who couldn't be here. One is from Mike Tulee the executive director of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. He says “To Whom it may concern: I fully support community efforts toward establishing a native focused high school within the Seattle public school system. I believe that with careful planning and investment improved Native American academic achievements will result there are easily over 50 native identified teachers within the SPS that could provide solid and culturally appropriate teaching practices to the targeted student population. Establishing a native focused school would not only support Native American students within the SPS but also communities from all walks of life. Please consider providing a physical site for a native focus school. Sincerely Mike Tulee executive director of United Indians.” Second I have a letter from Mel R. Sheldon chairman of the board director
037of the Tulalip Tribes. And this is a letter that he wrote to Dr Nyland last November. “Dear Dr. Nyland as you are aware that Tulalip tribe has an interest in the public education of Tulalip youth and other Native American youth in the state of Washington. For this reason we respectfully request that you and the Seattle Public School District Board schedule a planning meeting for the development of an Indian Heritage High School in support of the urban Native Education Alliance and its efforts to improve the Seattle public school system for Native American youth. We believe this meeting will be a positive step toward showing Native American students and their parents that the Seattle public school district is serious in assisting their Native American students achieve success in their education. Further, Moreover as the former Marysville School
038District Superintendent involved with Tulalip establishment of Tulalip Heritage High School located on the Tulalip indian reservation we believe you understand the importance of creating a curriculum and environment that supports Native American culture and identity. Again we urge you to call a planning meeting to address the education of your native students. Lastly as a partner with the Marysville School District over the years we may be available to offer input some of the challenges and successes of the Tulalip Heritage High School. As you further this process if requested. Sincerely Mel R. Sheldon chairman of the board of directors of the Tulalip tribes.” Thank you. I support ethnic studies because I went through Seattle schools as well and could use more of that. Martinez: Brian Terry. Speaker 14: Good evening. Thank you for supporting equity in advanced learning.
039In our schools today. A white student is 20 times more likely than a black student to be identified as highly capable. This leads to highly segregated classrooms that send a clear message to all of our students. White students are more capable and more deserving. This inequitable model stems from an outdated belief that underprivileged highly capable students are either much less common or less deserving of special support than their privileged peers. To end this inequity will require taking the time to properly understand highly capable underprivileged students. What are their circumstances and what are their needs. How can we change our programs to find and serve them. More importantly we need to look at why we have neglected these students for more than three decades. It is time for change. By disrupting the status quo and un-biasing
040both the process and the service model we can deliver a racially diverse program that supports students from all backgrounds. This will send a powerful new message to all of our students. All of you are capable and deserving. Thank you. Martinez: Pamela after Pamela we will have India Carlson followed by Robin Schwartz and Lexie Relph. Speaker 15: Better. Good evening. My name is Pam Goddard and I am requesting that the Seattle Public Schools take actionable steps to advance a commitment establishing a native focused option in high school. In January of this year I became the guardian of an Alaska Native student who wanted to be closer to family while finishing high school and also have opportunities to pursue the arts. It never occurred to me that Seattle would not have a native focused high school. I
041thought for sure the Indian Heritage School or some form of it still existed. After countless calls to the local high schools, teachers, and the Seattle school district we finally decided to pursue three small schools Middle College High School the center school and Nova none of which had the resources to help a young native student navigate the complexities of a large public school system. If it had not been for Robin Wilson at the North Gate Middle College High School we never would have found Clear Sky. Native Warriors basketball and the urban Native Education Alliance and these three programs have been a lifesaver. You know the numbers you heard him here tonight. Something is wrong with the system. Despite a public school system to address these issues I believe these students deserve a learning environment that is
042supportive of their cultural heritage lived experience and traditions. The current Seattle public school system is not conducive to native learners unique academic and cultural needs. Reopening native native focused high school and creating an option school that is open to all students is long overdue. This would be a necessary step for Seattle Public Schools to implement policy that will close the achievement gaps for native students. Thank you. Martinez: India? Robin? After Robin we’ll have Lexy Relph and Camille Heinen. Speaker 16: Thank you. I'm Robin Schwartz from Concord International School Concord's dual language program began 11 years ago as a gap closing measure for our community which is 64 percent Latino. 56 percent ELL and seventy seven point five percent free and reduced lunch students. This year's rollout of an English only literacy curriculum is a barrier
043for our DL model necessitating the translation of all non literacy subjects including no resources for Spanish literacy and with little guidance for this new framework. Our teachers have had an overwhelming workload adapting to the loss of Spanish literacy. The burden has fallen most heavily on teachers who are women of color and on our most vulnerable students the purchase of a literacy curriculum that does not consider our model is an oversight by the district and a missed opportunity to use the race inequity lens. We have waited all year for a meaningful response to our concerns. While convening a dual language Task Force after many hours of discussion and research including meetings with Directors Kinoshita Aoki or Aramaki Zavala and Board Dir. Harris and parents community and staff we designed an action plan to purchase the American
044reading company curriculum which offers Spanish literacy. We are requesting a reimbursement from the district. To ensure its timely arrival we are purchasing the curriculum now with our free and reduced lunch teaching funds earmarked for supplies and other needed equipment. The DL task force has presented our request to the district. I am here today to ask for the board support. Simply put we are a title one school with majority children of immigrants children of color and children living in poverty are purchasing our own gap closing curriculum with our free and reduced lunch funds. This is an opposition strategy one in the strategic plan parts a and b from the districts ensuring educational and racial equity policy and board governance priority 1 eliminate opportunity gaps. We ask the board please support our request for reimbursement from the
045district.