PUBLIC POLICY

PUBLIC POLICY 

AAUW-CA Public Policy – School Boards Project        GWA-AAUW October 2025 Update

In 2023, the AAUW California Public Policy Committee launched the School Board Project to support AAUW California’s policy priorities to ensure “equal access to quality public education for all students,” including access to curriculum that offers historically accurate information.

Elements of the project at the local school district level include:

  • To follow school board member election cycles and to help the community understand what a good candidate looks like.
  • To invite local AAUW branch members to observe their area school board meetings with open eyes and listening ears for equity in education.
  • To support local school boards as an interested community organization in matters that align with AAUW policy priorities.
  • To inform local school boards of AAUW activities that support school district students, such as Tech Trek and more.

The school year is just getting started, and so is the School Board Project for GWA-AAUW. Cindi Peterson plans to attend the Whittier Union School District Board Meetings for the 2025-26 school year. We are looking for other GWA-AAUW members who would be interested in this project for other districts in our area. Several school district board meetings are available to watch on Zoom.

Cindi attended the WUHSD Board meeting on September 9, 2025. An agenda item of interest to AAUW-California Public Policy was WUHSD Board Agenda item 16.01. The school board reviewed, discussed, and adopted Resolution No. 2526-11, Affirming Support for Immigrant Students. The resolution acknowledged the significant decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe (1982) that established that all children, including undocumented immigrant children, have a constitutional right to a free public K-12 education. This resolution supports the Board’s goal to establish and strengthen resources and involvement with families and local partners to enhance opportunities for students.

If you’d like additional information, contact Cindi Peterson at cindipete@gmail.com.

For more on the AAUW-California School Board Project: School Board Project Enters Next Phase – AAUW California ( https://www.aauw-ca.org/school-board-project-enters-next-phase/)

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Understanding the Urgency of Branch Participation in the Public Policy School Board Project

By Seena Trigas, Member AAUW California Public Policy School Board Project

The constant noises that surround us today have had the effect on many of us wanting to “shut the door” and withdraw behind a protective shield. This is not an option if we want to protect our democracy and the rights declared in our Constitution. We must continue to protest against national policies that threaten our basic core principles, and take a stand at the state and local levels where we can have even greater impact. AAUW California’s mission and public policies are being threatened, and we will not stand by and allow this to happen. The articles that follow in our monthly AAUW California reports will present the specific violations of protected rights implemented by federal policies and local school boards throughout our state. Let’s start with a brief historical overview on the importance of our free public school system and the important role in plays in preserving our democracy.

Colonial America began the journey in Massachusetts Bay (1635) with the founding of the Boston Latin School, initially to promote the Puritan faith. Dame Schools providing reading skills for younger children were also established, and a Massachusetts law in 1647 demanded that every town comprising 50 or more families must provide a teacher to instruct on reading and writing.

Our new nation began its journey into public education with the Land Ordinance 1785/NW Ordinance 1787 providing that the new western territories be allotted land for public school purposes. The founding fathers clearly connected the role of education in protecting our democratic republic. Thomas Jefferson proposed a system of broad, free, public education and strongly believed that “in order for a society to be self-governed, it had to be educated and free thinking.” He saw the role of education as one giving “every citizen the information he needs…to understand his duties to his neighbors and country…to know his rights.”

During the 1830s, in the era of Jacksonian Democracy, focus was on the common man achieving the vote (dropping property requirements or paying taxes); our nation witnessed the beginning of a new era in public education espousing that an informed citizenry is essential for democratic participation and the health of the republic. A key focus was on the large number of immigrants coming to our shores; we needed to instill common values in all children to prepare them for their roles within our society. It’s at this time that Horace Mann (Massachusetts) will lead the nation in the Common School Movement, a driving force resulting in widespread free public education.

These hard-fought gains are under attack and it begins with local elections for school board members. Organizations with money are backing candidates who are attempting to restrict student rights and censure the curriculum/books available that would provide factual, open discourse. These efforts will have the exact opposite effect from the intentions of our forebears: a generation of children exposed to limited information and unprepared to engage in critical thinking necessary to fully realize the American experiment in democracy.

Please watch for future articles that will describe how the Public Policy School Board Project is fighting back. Our advocacy and commitment to our public schools is critical, with a great deal at stake.  Jefferson will end this discussion: “…Only educated citizens could make the American experiment in self-government succeed.”