PUBLIC POLICY
The March Primary Election is the most important thing to focus on now. Please consult the website VOTE411 (https://www.vote411.org) for information about candidates for county, state, and local offices and on PROPOSITION 1. Urge your friends and neighbors to use VOTE411 and their SOS Election booklet to become informed. Then VOTE!!! Vote Centers open on Saturday, February 24 and will be open through Election Day. Drop Boxes are available throughout the county and are open now. They are emptied daily to safeguard the ballots.
You are also eligible to be an Election Integrity observer of Vote Centers through the Registrar Recorders office or through Common Cause. Many voter resources are available at https://toolkit.lavote.gov/ Members of the public can observe operations at the vote counting center in City of Industry on Crossroads Pkwy. both during the Vote by Mail processing before the election and after during the 29-day canvass. Ballots are counted on Tuesdays and Fridays. Verification of signatures on VBM ballots and verification of provisional ballots is ongoing. The 1% manual audit to crosscheck the computer tallies takes place in the second week of the canvass.
Stay tuned to learn about the details of an organized go-see tour.
WHITTIER CITY COUNCIL ELECTION
APRIL 9, 2024
CANDIDATE FORUM MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2024
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
MAYOR
7:00 to 8:00 PM
COUNCIL DISTRICTS 1 & 3
8:15 to 9:30 PM
Volunteers welcome!
Submitted by Margo Reeg
Branch Public Policy Chair
AAUW CA PUBLIC POLICY
The Role of California School Boards
By Seena Trigas, Member AAUW California Public Policy Committee School Board Project
AAUW California is concerned about the censorship of classroom material, the heightened enforcement of board policies rejecting diversity, and providing discriminatory policies against gay and minority students. This concern now leads me, as a former school board member, high school teacher/department chair and adjunct college professor, to reflect on the role of school boards in California and their limitations.
The State Board of Education (SBE) is the controlling structure for K-12, and is the governing and policy-making body of the state for public education. Among its duties is the adoption of statewide academic standards for content and of curriculum frameworks. These inform and guide the local school boards in the development and implementation of specific curricula for K-12 students, and serve as the basis for the adoption of instructional materials. School board members represent districts within the school district boundaries.
In 2023 AB1078 was passed, which requires the California State Department of Education to assess if school boards are in compliance with state laws requiring public schools to provide diverse and comprehensive education. It requires local school districts with insufficient instructional materials to correct this and authorizes the department to purchase (at district expense) adequate curricula if the district restricts students from learning about important topics like racism, sexism, and gender-based marginalization.
AAUW branch members play a critical role in ensuring all California school boards are governed by board members who will follow AB 1078, and who oppose policies that infringe on the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.
AAUW Morgan Hill members are attending meetings of the Morgan Hill Unified School District board to monitor both the board and the public for threats to AB 1078 and the rights of all students to an equitable education. If you would like to join the public policy team to attend MHUSD meetings, contact Public Policy Chair Susan Rife.
