Students for
Education Equity
GENup is leading the Students for Education Equity Coalition, a youth-led movement which includes student-led organizations and education stakeholders from
across California, from prominent student board members to student-led educational advocacy organizations.
Purpose:
The Students for Education Equity Coalition is dedicated to advocating for sufficient education funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education is the most crucial institution supporting our students -- teachers and mentors have worked tirelessly to provide emotional support, as well as safe spaces for their students to learn and engage. Our students strongly believe in their right to education, and identify schools as the one bastion of society they remember from before. Yet, education funding is not being prioritized by the government right now. California is rapidly losing money, causing the education system to become severely underfunded. Roughly 300,000 jobs will be lost in the education sector alone, and school districts may have to end school as early as March or April next year because they cannot afford to remain open. California alone is projected to see a 10 percent cut in education (roughly 10 billion dollars) in the newly revised budget, which may lead to over 57,000 educator layoffs. Currently, schools that provide resources such as technological support will be relied upon by up to twice as many students, costing significantly more money, and making it all the more essential to fund these programs in order to protect a vulnerable and weakening education system. Stabilizing public school funding over the next few years will be critical to our futures and our wellbeing; and as students, we are taking on the mantle and leading the charge in ensuring full and equitable funding for all students and districts across California.
Our Asks to Congress:
In order to effectively prepare and support local schools, we are requesting Congress to explore the student-proposed solutions below, providing funding for the following programs:
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$13 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and $12 billion for Title I.
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Appropriate $350 billion over the next two fiscal years,
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Specifically, $175 billion in the next stimulus package, distributed according to Title 1 formulas.
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$90 million for per-student payments (increased to $2,000 per qualifying student), and
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$2 Billion for E-rate.
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$800 million to fund the Basic Support program 2020 and to reallocate federal property to support districts with non-taxable federal land.
We also request that:
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A sufficient portion of the State Stabilization Fund, allocated in the most recent Congressional HEROES Act and stimulus packages thereafter, is restricted and apportioned to education — specifically for Title 1 guidelines
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Congress, during negotiations with the Senate, actively advocate for the inclusion of such a clause to ensure money from the state stabilization fund directly benefits our education and our futures
Our Asks to the State of California
As for the California Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom, we are urging them to explore following solutions:
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Enact a statewide utility surcharge to generate a new funding source to provide all California
students with universal access to a device and internet at home.
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Use funding in our State’s 16 billion dollar Budget Stabilization Account to cushion impacts on a newly revised state education budget.
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Ensure student opinion, student input, student voice, and student perspective is heard and taken into consideration in the use of the $4.4 billion federal funds for summer school and reopening of school campuses.
We also request that:
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A state-student taskforce, consisting of chosen student-representatives from across California schools, is created to advise the governor on best uses on the allocations of the State Budget Stabilization Account as well as any additional State stabilization Funding or Stimulus Funding provided for by Congress
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When students return to school in Fall, administrators will need fiscal support in order to protect the health and safety of all California students. We request the use of funds not sourced from Proposition 98, to buy medical equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), thermometers, and other similar necessities in order to safely transition us students back to in-person learning.
Lastly, we request the inclusion of new fiscal and scheduling modifications through the 2023-24 school year:
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Allow school districts to quantify average daily attendance (ADA) based on a rolling average from the past 2 or 3 years, instead of allocating funding attendance based on the 2019-20 school year alone, where the ADA was significantly affected by the onset of school closures and new adaptive measures to online learning.
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Provide school districts the ability to still receive money through school funding formulas for absences related to COVID-19, as many students will still not feel comfortable with attending school in-person in fear of transmission.
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Allow students the option of resuming remote, independent studies after the official reopening of schools.
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Revise the maximum and minimum limits on class sizes to ensure students, administrators, staff, school personnel, and educators alike can adequately social distance on campus and in school classrooms.
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Delay the implementation of new curriculum and/or material until the 2022-23 school year so as not to overwhelm educators in these unique and daunting times.
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Ensure school districts have the flexibility to adapt revised school year instructional calendars without penalty, whether that be shortening or lengthening school years; thus done in an effort to create best instructional practices in unique times of learning.
Our Letter to Congress
Our Letter to the California Governor's Office
Organizations - Youth & Adult
* March for Our Lives California
* GENup
* Oakland Students for Public Education
* Student Voice
* Students Rise
* Take Action INC.
* Palo Alto Educators Association
* Generation Ratify CA
* Sacramento City Unified School District Student Advisory Council
*California Student Environmental Group
*Bay Area Student Activists
*Cal for Kids
*Children's Advocacy Institute, University of San Diego
*Children Now
*Art Hour
* Youth Voter Movement
* Women's March San Francisco
* California Student Board Member Association
* Albany Care
* SAC - Student Advisory Council of San Francisco
Unified
* San Mateo Activist Coalition
* SF Youth Commission
*Sacramento City Teachers Association
*Empowering Youth Action
*Cal Berkeley Democrats
*IAmATeenVoter
*Walnut Creek Youth Leadership Commission
*SURFBoardE, Student Advisory Council of Fremont
Unified School District
*Children's Law Center of California
Letter Signatories
Adult Representatives/Leaders of California's School Districts
Austin Beutner, Superintendent Los Angeles Unified
Monica Garcia, Board Member Los Angeles Unified Board of Education
Cindy Marten, Superintendent San Diego Unified
John Lee Evans, President San Diego Unified Board of Education
Jody London, President Oakland Unified Board of Education
Keshia Thomas, President Fresno Unified Board of Education
Jessie Ryan, President Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Jorge A. Aguilar, Superintendent Sacramento City Unified
Robert G. Nelson, Superintendent Fresno Unified
Dr. Karen Janney, Superintendent Sweetwater Union High School District
Dr. Matt Doyle, Superintendent Vista Unified
Dr. Sarah Koligian, Superintendent Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Michael McQuary, Board Member San Diego Unified Board of Education
Richard Barrera, Vice-President San Diego Unified Board of Education
Kevin Beiser, Board Member San Diego Unified Board of Education
Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, Board Member San Diego Unified Board of Education
Ann Crosbie, Board Member Fremont Unified Board of Education
Michael Minnick, Vice-President Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Mai Vang, Board Member Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Lisa Murawski, Board Member Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Leticia Garcia, Board Member Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Darrel Woo, Board Member Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Amy Hanacek, Board Member Capistrano Unified Board of Education
Patricia Holloway, Board Member Capistrano Unified Board of Education
Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, Board Member Fresno Unified Board of Education
Veva Islas, Board Member Fresno Unified Board of Education
Cherise Khaund, Board Member Mt. Diablo Board of Education
Kalen Gallagher, President Campbell Union HS District Board of Education
Michelle Berke, Board Member Fremont Unified Board of Education
Teri Baldwin, President Palo Alto Educators Association
David Fisher, President Sacramento Teachers Association
Darcy Paul, Vice Mayor City of Cupertino
Rishi Kumar, Saratoga City Council Member
Socorro Shiels, Superintendent Sonoma Valley Unified School District
Rigel Robinson, Berkeley City Council Member
Nina Senn, Former Oakland Unified Board Member/ Founder Cal for Kids
Mike Grove, Superintendent of Los Gatos - Saratoga Union High School District
Robert Bravo, Superintendent Campbell Union High School District
Kent Kern, Superintendent San Juan Unified School District
Stella Kemp, Superintendent Santa Clara Unified School District
Mark Richardson, Board Member Santa Clara Unified School District
Pam Foley, District 9 City Council Member, City of San Jose
Kimberly Meek, Board Member San Jose Unified School District
Laurie Fong, President Santa Rose City Unified Board of Education
Student Board Members & Student Leaders
Brenna Pangelinan, Student Board Member CA Stateboard of Education
Maya Howard, Student Member CA Instructional Quality Commission
Andre Mirzayan, California Y & G Youth Governor
Frances Suavillo, Student Board Member Los Angeles Unified Board of Education
Zachary Patterson, Student Board Member San Diego Unified Board of Education
Shavonne Hines-Foster, Student Board Member San Francisco Unified Board of Education
Joshua Camrillo, Student Board Member Fresno Unified Board of Education
Olivia Ang-Olson, Student Board Member Sacramento City Unified Board of Education
Ethan Collier, Student Board Member Sweetwater Unified Board of Education
Karen Li, Student Board Member Fremont Unified Board of Education
Thomas Li, Student Board Member Palo Alto Board of Education
Audrey Mallah, Student Board Member Albany Unified Board of Education
Michaela Weinstein. Student Board Member Albany Unified Board of Education
Scarlett Kniznik, Student Board Member Folsom Cordova Unified Board of Education
Ela Ruf, Student Board Member Ojai Unified Board of Education
Joe Brawdy, Student Board Member Saint Helena Unified Board of Education
Emely Martinez Ramirez, Student Board Member Campbell Union HS Board of Education
Henry Mills, Student Board Member Alameda Unified Board of Education
Isaiah Christopher Carter, Student Board Member Travis Unified Board of Education
Shelby Cherkas, Student Board Member San Mateo Union HS Board of Education
Jenna Beining, Student Board Member Fullerton Joint Union HS Board of Education
Emily Bylsma, Student Board Member Poway Unified Board of Education
Estella Hemp, Student Board Member Berkeley Unified Board of Education
Calvin Yang, Student Board Member Hayward Unified Board of Education
Genevieve Koenigshofer, Student Board Member Capistrano Unified Board of Education
Tinni Mukherjee, Student Board Member Dublin Unified Board of Education
Cecilia Venegas, Student Board member San Gabriel Unified Board of Education
Ethan Castillo, Student Board Member Las Virgenes Unified Board of Education
Alejandra Arevalo, Student Board Member Manteca Unified Board of Education
Shane Tayag, Student Board Member Castro Valley Unified Board of Education
Ally Gallant, Student Board Member Folsom Cordova Unified Board of Education
Stephanie Garcia, Richmond HS Rep of District Local Control Accountability Plan Committee
Omar Lopez, Student Representative Santa Rosa City Unified Board of Education
Get Involved:
If your organization would like to join or endorse our coalition, fill out the following form:
If you are an individual and want to support our cause, sign these petitions:
Find us on Social Media!
