Dear Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) Staff, Students, Families and Community, In our continued commitment to serving our community and providing current information, we have some important updates in this week’s message.
In an effort to keep our community informed, we invite you to join our IUSD Board Meeting on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. You may join in person or tune in virtually via livestream. We will recognize the success of City Honors International Preparatory School Student Scholarship Awards, update on the Audit, and an update on the District’s Facilities and Maintenance Progress Report. Please click here for information regarding our Board Meeting agenda and livestream information, posted 72 hours prior to the meeting.
We are thrilled to name Shanisha L. Wade - Custodian as our AllStar Employee for the January 3, 2023 - January 16, 2023 time period. Congratulations, Shanisha, and thank you for your hard work, dedication, and vital contributions to IUSD!
Every 2 weeks a classified employee from the District Office will be named as the All-Star Employee, offering
them the privilege of parking in the first parking spot of the District Office labeled: “IUSD All-Star Employee”.
What a remarkable flag football season for our Crozier Middle School students. Led by Coach Henry, 8th grade RSP Teacher at Crozier Middle School, students had the opportunity to participate in the Foundation for Interscholastic Youth Athletics (FIYA) sport program. The FIYA organization serves more than 20,000 student athletes in elementary and middle school across Los Angeles County and over 400 school teams.
some highlights and updates on the District’s current and completed school modernization and improvement projects. The modernization and improvement projects have been funded through the use of Measure GG and Measure I bonds funding proceeds. To learn more about how the funding proceeds have impacted our schools, please click here.
IUSD’s Martin Luther King Jr. Art Expression Contest and Exhibition
In an effort to keep our community informed, our next School Closure and Consolidation Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at the District Office Board Room and the Asset Management Advisory Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. The meetings are open to the public to attend, listen, and provide public comments. Please click here for information regarding our committee meeting agendas and supporting documents that will be posted 72 hours prior to the meeting.
National Letter of Intent Day
This season, our student athletes at Crozier Middle School had a remarkable 9-1 season. Earlier in the season, our Crozier Bulldogs lost to St. Mark 20-14. Our Crozier Bulldogs had the opportunity to play undefeated St. Mark once again for the championship title, taking the win 26-20. The team was led by 8th graders Amir Hunter, Semaj Welch, Tye Brooks, Justen Keys, Ismael Mohamad, and Keion Stuart. The FIYA
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On Wednesday, December 21, 2022, Inglewood High School hosted National Letter of Intent Day for their football student-athletes. It was an exciting morning, as fourteen seniors have received full-ride athletic scholarships to various universities across the nation to continue their post-secondary education and to play college football. Students represented their college apparel at the National Letter of Intent Day, as they shared their gratitude to their families, friends, coaches, and district members. Our District is extremely proud of
organization has been a great sports platform for our middle school scholar athletes and we hope to continue to grow the program offerings across our schools.
The District is excited to host our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Art Expression Exhibition on Saturday, January 14, 2023 in collaboration with the City of Inglewood’s King Fest Family Festival from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The student art exhibition will be showcased inside the Miracle Theater event space located at 230234 S. Market Street. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy, the art expression contest theme will focus on: Why must the dream go on and where do we go from here? The art contest is open to all IUSD students in grade K-12. If you are interested in participating, please submit your project by January 12, 2023 to specialprojects@ inglewoodusd.com or in person at the District Office located at 401 S. Inglewood Ave., Bungalow B1 Special Projects. To learn more, click here.
our football athletes and coaches for their hard work, dedication, and commitment this season.
Crozier Middle School earns the title of FIYA Division 1 Flag Football
On Saturday, December 17, 2022, ten high school students were invited to participate at the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, Presented by Stifel Job Shadow Program. Our students were introduced to various sports industry careers such as, Security Operations, Community Engagement, Legal Affairs, Event Operations, and Partnership Marketing. In addition, the students created new professional networks and were each surprised with a $1,000 scholarship, thanks to our remarkable partner, Hollywood Park.
Facilities-At-a-Glance November Newsletter
Our District would like to share
The City of Inglewood will host its 40th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on Saturday, January 14, 2023. The City will kickoff its 2023 King Day celebration at 11:00 a.m. with the King Fest Family Festival, taking place on downtown Market Street (Market Street from Regent Street to Nutwood). King Fest is a fun-filled family event with commercial vendors, interactive games, food trucks, live entertainment, and so much more. The City of Inglewood’s King Day celebration is sponsored by Consolidated Disposal Services, Intuit Dome, Los Angeles Clippers, Kia Forum, Los Angeles Rams, KJLH 102.3 FM, and the Inglewood Unified School District. For more information about Inglewood’s King Day Celebration, call (310) 412-8750, visit the City’s website at www.cityofinglewood.org or click the following flyers, English / Spanish.
Thank you staff, parents, students, and community members for your ongoing support and commitment to the success of our district.
#WeAreInglewoodUnified
Sincerely, Arturo Valdez Interim County Administrator
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC)
-- The College Football Playoff Championship is coming to Los Angeles as Georgia faces TCU Monday at SoFi Stadium, but along with the game comes a week of events to get fans ready.
This includes a fan experience set up at the Convention Center in downtown L.A. and a free concert series at Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park.
“It’s really about what do these major events bring to the city. They bring these free events that the community can participate in, number one,” said Kathryn Schloessman, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. “They bring opportunities, jobs, business opportunities to our local diverse businesses, number two, and I think the biggest thing that we’re most proud of is the legacy that they leave behind.”
The game will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a community that continues to grow into a sports and entertainment hub. With hosting the Super Bowl just last year and the World Cup on the horizon, Inglewood businesses are happy to have the boost in visitors.
“Everyone’s happy,” said Karolyn Plummer, owner of Sweet Red Peach, a bakery that sits across the street from the stadium. “It’s a little skepticism, but when you see the revenue coming into the city and just getting Inglewood back on the map, it’s a great thing.”
“We’ll get an influx of people,” said Terry Dulan, CEO and owner of Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen. “It’s an influx of tax dollars to Inglewood, so
hopefully that can help the whole city prosper and coming after COVID, we need all the extra help we can get.”
Inglewood teachers and students are also benefiting. Through the College Football Playoff Foundation and the L.A. Host Committee, Morningside High School students are getting a new e-sports lab.
“Often when these types of events come to communities, it shines a light
on the school district and provides opportunities for our students,” said Bernadette Lucas, the chief academic officer of Inglewood Unified School District. “So, we have players and organizations that go ‘Wow, Inglewood Unified is in the city of Inglewood. This is our opportunity to give back and give back in meaningful ways.’”
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and the 2023 College Football Playoff (CFP) Los Angeles Host Committee unveiled a new eSports Lab at Morningside High School in Inglewood on Jan. 6. The $250,000 new learning lab, designed by School Specialty, features new technology and resources, including new gaming stations, a judges’ station, viewing areas for spectators, and a teaching area. Research shows students participating in eSports programs learn teamwork and collaboration, while building STEM, technical and business skills.
Morningside High School’s new eSports lab is one of many Los Angeles area Extra Yard Makeovers in the works through November 2023. The project is part of the CFP Foundation’s mission to uplift teachers grades K-12, and its commitment to make a significant investment in educator resources as part of the national championship game in January 2023.
No more waffling about whether or not Sean McVay wants to return to the sidelines to coach the Rams after owner Stan Kroenke mortgaged the future of the franchise to give the wiz kid all of the tools to win at least two Super Bowls, but settling for one. Reports surfaced in earnest before the Rams played their guts out in Seattle before succumbing on an overtime field goal 19-16 to finish a forgettable season 5-12 campaign on the heels of capturing a home field Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in last February.
While this is not a good time for McVay to bail after the owner doled out $160 million with $135 million guaranteed through 2026 for Matthew Stafford. He was injured most of this season and will be 38-years old when the deal is completed.
On the other hand, star defensive end Aaron Donald is locked up through 2024 after signing a two year n extension with $65 million in guarantees, this after he contemplated retirement. He was on the sideline with Stafford when it was obvious the team would not make the playoffs.
Stafford also cost the Rams the 2023 first round pick that will go to Detroit, they also got pimped on their 4th round pick in the dubious Sony Michel trade to New England in 2021.
The Rams only have six draft picks this year with their highest picks in the second and third rounds and will not have a first rounder until 2024.
At just 36 years old McVay’s and with a brilliant winning clip of 67–41 (.620), boasting a coaching tree that has produced three NFL head coaches in the Bengals Zac Taylor, the Packers Matt LaFleur, the Vikings Kevin O’Connell and the Chargers Brandon Staley, but if he doesn’t want to coach anymore the Rams should allow him
go to television.
Taylor was horrific before the Bengals miraculous Super Bowl run, O’Connell led the Vikings to the playoffs in his first year, LaFleur should be fired if he’s not already and Staley continues to raise eyebrows with the multitude of mistakes that he’s made.
With the 5th seed already locked in, Staley for some inexplicable reason decided to play five of his starters in 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos in the regular-season finale.
Wide receiver Mike Williams suffered a back injury in the second quarter, was assisted off the field by the training staff and taken into the locker room on a cart, but still may be available when the Bolts travel to Jacksonville for a Wild Card match up against the Jaguars on Saturday.
Edge rusher Joey Bosa did not return to the game against the Broncos after an awkward play in the second quarter, and linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.
also exited in the second quarter.
Staley who is infamous for his daring fourth down decisions was defiant in allowing his starters to play.
“These aren’t easy decisions,” Staley said after the game. “They’re not easy decisions and hindsight is perfect for everybody on the outside, but these games are not easy to manage. They’re not, because you don’t have that many players and we did it to the best of our ability.”
Just a week before he was jubilant when the Chargers clinched the post season berth and he awarded a game ball to owner Dean Spanos.
So, as the College Football Championship circus leaves town all of the focus will turn to the Chargers and a bullseye will be on the head of Brandon Staley if he gets out coached by Doug Pederson who turned around a woeful Jaguars franchise in one season.
Spanos spent heavy bucks this off season. Aside from resigning Williams
for a bargain $60 million; signed best cornerback on the free agent market in J.C. Jackson; swung a deal with the Chicago Bears for star pass rusher Khalil Mack, giving Los Angeles one of the most deadly pass rushing duos in the league.
They already have one of the top young quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert who threw for 4,739 yards and 25 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and his soon due for a massive pay raise.
This golden opportunity cannot be squandered, especially against the weakest of all AFC post season team.
The Jaguars embarrassed the Bolts on their home field on Sept. 25, 38-10 in their warning to the league they are for real.
Real or not, the Chargers have a golden opportunity in front of them having already demonstrated they can play with top seeded Kansas Chiefs, this has to be a year to do some damage or else…
Inglewood Today NewsLOS ANGELES- Volunteers for the 31st Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) are sought for February 2023. The festival is returning with in-person films and events from Feb. 9-20, 2023, in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills and XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
Volunteers enjoy the benefits of free and unlimited access to all films, panels, and events, based on availability. Oftentimes, volunteers have the opportunity to network and
meet amazing people in the filmmaking industry--including celebrities!
Applications are being accepted now online at paff.org, and potential
volunteers are encouraged to get their applications in quickly.
PAFF requests volunteers to assist with in-person roles at the largest Black film festival in the country. These roles include ticketing, film trafficking, ushers, the red carpet, and more!
Volunteer orientation will take place at 10 a.m. in the Community Room at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Sat. Jan. 21, Sat. Jan. 28, and Sat. Feb. 4.
To learn more about PAFF, please visit paff.org.
In December, the United States added 223,000 jobs, exceeding expectations by more than 21,000, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%.
The unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in 54 years.
Last year, 4.5 million new jobs were created. President Joe Biden stated that his first two years in office saw the highest levels of job growth in history.
“We are witnessing the transition to steady and stable growth that I have been predicting for months,” Biden said.
“We still have work to do to bring down inflation and help American families feeling the cost-of-living squeeze. However, we are on the right track.”
According to the White House, the unemployment rate for Black and Hispanic Americans has dropped to near-record lows.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for disabled people hit a new low, while hourly wages for all workers rose slightly in December after five months of increases in real wages.
Manufacturing employment increased by 8,000 jobs last month, bringing the total number of manufacturing jobs created since Biden’s election to
750,000.
In addition, administration officials say that people in their prime working years have continued to join the workforce faster than in previous recoveries.
“These historic job and unemployment gains are giving workers more power and breathing room for American families,” Biden said.
“Real wages are up in recent months, gas prices are down, and we are seeing
“We have more work to do, and we may face setbacks along the way,” the president said, “but it is clear that my economic strategy of growing the economy from the bottom up and middle out is working.”
“We are just getting started,” he said. “This month, we are capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 per month.
We are lowering energy and utility bills for Americans,” Biden said.
“And shovels are hitting the ground all around the country to rebuild our infrastructure, supply chains, and manufacturing here at home.
“That is how we will build an America in which we can all be proud, where working families have good jobs and more breathing room, and the economy grows from the bottom up and middle out over time.”
In a filing sent to the U.S. Supreme Court this week, the Department of Justice agreed with President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loans.
In 2022, the president promised to forgive all outstanding student loan debt for millions of borrowers, up to a maximum of $20,000 each.
Republicans are leading the way in suing the federal government to stop the plan.
The Department of Justice, however, said last week in a court filing that Biden’s actions are perfectly legal.
Lawyers from the Department of Justice said that Congress gave the president “clear permission” to go ahead with his plan.
A federal judge in Texas invalidated a program in October that would have helped 40 million people with their student loan debt.
Two people who didn’t qualify for
aid
At the time, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the government strongly disagreed.
“The President and this Administration are determined to help working and middle-class Americans get back on their feet, while our opponents, backed by extremist Republican special interests, have sued to prohibit millions
of Americans from getting muchneeded relief,” Jean-Pierre remarked.
The HEROES Act of 2003, according to the White House, gives the Secretary of Education the authority to forgive student debt.
“The program is consequently an illegal exercise of Congress’s legislative power and must be vacated,” wrote Judge Mark Pittman, a Donald Trump nominee.
“In this country, we are not dominated by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone,” he continued.
Federal student loan debt of up to $10,000 will be forgiven for borrowers with yearly incomes of less than $125,000 in 2020 or 2021, and up to $200,000 for married couples or heads of households.
Borrowers who also got a federal Pell grant might have up to $20,000 in their loans discharged.
Last week Malia M. Cohen was sworn-in as the first Black woman –and first African American -- to serve as California’s State Controller.
On Monday, Jan. 2, the oath of office was administered by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I am proud and honored to serve as California’s state controller,” said Cohen. “The work to create a more equitable California has already begun. I look forward to ensuring fiscal accountability, with an eye toward transparency and innovation.”
On Friday Jan. 6, Cohen was given the oath of office by San Francisco Mayor London Breed with her husband Warren Pulley by her side.
The community event was held at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Sacramento.
“I am proud and honored to serve as California’s State Controller,” Cohen said. “The work to create a more equitable California has already begun. I look forward to ensuring fiscal accountability, with an eye toward transparency and innovation.”
California now has three Black politicians holding Constitutional offices including Cohen. Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond are the others.
“Congratulations @MaliaCohen. As California’s first Black state controller, Malia has made history and continues to break barriers while helping build long-term equity throughout our communities. I’m confident she will continue fighting for the rights of all
Californians,” Breed stated in a Jan. 6 post on her Twitter page
“I am excited to get to work on creating a more equitable California as your next Controller,” Cohen tweeted Jan. 6.
Cohen was elected to the California Board of Equalization (BOE) in November 2018 and was named chairperson in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, Cohen continues to serve the Board as the BOE’s fifth voting member.
Prior to being elected to the BOE, Cohen was President of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, she also served as the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and President of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS).
Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco. Her political journey, she says lightheartedly, began when she
was elected class president of San Francisco’s Lowell High School, the oldest public high school on the West Coast. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
She and her husband reside in San Francisco along with their daughter.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller also has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
Cohen’s duties include being a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two
largest public pension funds.
At the St. Paul Baptist Missionary Baptist Church swearing-in, Kenneth Reece, the Senior Pastor, gave the opening prayer.
Held at the church six miles from the State Capitol, Cohen’s swearingin ceremony included prayers offered by Imam Yasir Kahn, the Chaplain of the California State Assembly, and Rabbi Mona Alfi, the Senior Rabbi of Congregation B’Nai Israel.
Among guests wereAssemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), Director of Bay Area Rapid Transit Bevan Duffy, California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez, the singer Aloe Blacc and Jaqueline Thompson, Pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland.
Cohen’s swearing-in was held on the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The day was packed with political activities in Sacramento and shadowed by references to the infamous Capitol insurrection in Washington that shocked people across the country and around the world.
That day, Gov. Newsom was sworn in to a second term. Rob Bonta was also sworn-in for the first time as the state’s Attorney General. He was appointed to the position by Newsom in March 2021.
Before Newsom’s outdoor ceremony, the Governor, his wife, and four children led a march from West Sacramento, across the Tower Bridge, to the Capitol. During the Governor’s address on the steps of the Capitol, he shared his feelings about the attack on
State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Tony Thurmond took the oath of office to begin his second term on Jan. 7 at a ceremony conducted at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools in Los Angeles.
Thurmond oversees the education of 6 million PreK-12 students in over one thousand public school districts across California.
Although SPI is a non-partisan office, Thurmond drew support from many of the state’s top Democrats in his bid for re-election, including from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and several members of the California Legislative Black Caucus. He was also endorsed by unions across the state, including the California Federation of Teachers and California Teachers Association.
United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona performed the
ceremonial swearing in of Thurmond, who then reflected on his path to the office. The son of a Panamanian immigrant mother and Vietnam veteran father, who did not return to his family after the war – Thurmond and his brother were raised by their cousin and relied on public assistance programs and public schools to make it out of poverty.
“I am standing on the shoulders of those relatives who struggle and sacrifice so that we could have a better life,” Thurmond said after he was sworn in. “It was the sacrifices of teachers and classified staff and childcare workers and school administrators who make it possible for me to stand here today as your public servant fighting for 6 million students in the great state of California.”
Thurmond’s first term coincided with one of the most tumultuous periods in California’s history -- a time, he says, that brought with it many unforeseen
challenges.
“We all watched it together. The lives lost and impacted and disrupted by the pandemic,” Thurmond said before pointing out other cultural, social and political developments the country endured as the COVID-19 crisis intensified.
“The killing of George Floyd, fighting hate against the Asian American Pacific Islander community, racism targeted directly to African American families, anti-Semitism, the mistreatment of Latino families, immigrant families, we have seen so much hate all in such a short period of time that we would move into a pandemic and find out that, in a state with all the wealth that we have in California, that a million students could be without a computer,” Thurmond added. “That is the most important thing that they needed to be connected in those early days through remote learning.”
Thurmond says his administration
stepped up to address challenges presented by the pandemic.
“We know that the impact this has had clearly affected student proficiency levels where they are now compared to where they were a few years before the pandemic and of course, a deep, deep impact on the mental health of our students and our families,” he said.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in depression and anxiety and hospitalizations for children and it has been difficult for them,” Thurmond continued. “But our children are more than the sum of their circumstances. They’ve demonstrated their resiliency, and they’re on the path to recovery, and we’re going to help them with that because we just secured enough money to recruit 10,000 counselors for our schools in the state of California.”
The addition of counselors is good news for teachers across the state
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Six states with Republican governors sued to stop Biden’s plan to forgive debts. This made the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put a hold on the plan.
One plaintiff in Texas lost her right to have her federal student loans forgiven because the federal government did not service her loans.
Since the other plaintiff did not obtain a Pell award, the amount of debt relief to which he is entitled is just $10,000. They said they had no way of voicing their disapproval of the program’s regulations because the administration had not followed the Administrative Procedure Act’s notice and comment rule-making procedure.
Elaine Parker, president of the Job Creators Network Foundation, stated in a statement, “This verdict supports the rule of law which requires all Americans to have their voices heard by their federal government.”
According to CNN’s reporting, Bernie Marcus, the former CEO of Home Depot, and a key Trump donor, established the Job Creators Network Foundation.
Two challenges challenging Biden’s debt relief plan will be argued before the Supreme Court in February.
In February, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases.
In its petition, the Justice Department said, “The lower courts’ decisions have wrongly taken away the Secretary’s legislative authority to give targeted student loan debt relief to borrowers affected by national emergencies.”
the U.S. Capitol two years ago while addressing some of the state’s most pressing issues.
“Our politics doesn’t always reward taking on the hardest problems. The results of our work may not be evident for a long time. But that cannot be our concern,” Newsom said. “We will prepare for uncertain times ahead. We will be prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars, pay down debt, and meet our future obligations. And we will build and safeguard the largest fiscal reserve of any state in American history.”
seeking resources to help their students recover and develop in areas outside of academics where school also plays a crucial role for many students. “I was very excited when superintendent Thurman said that there would be 10,000 counselors coming to the school sites because we need that. The emotional health of our students, that is important, that is very important,” said elementary school math teacher and California Teacher of the Year award recipient Bridgette Donald-Blue to California Black Media.
The SPI does not have any legislative role. But Thurmond, who served in the California State Assembly for two terms, sponsored or endorsed several legislative initiatives that may have a profound effect on the future of education in California and the role that schools play to meet the social and emotional needs of students to provide a positive learning environment.
Thurmond says, beginning in the 2022–23 school year, the California Universal School Meal Program will help all students to reach their full academic potential by providing a nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch at no charge for all children each school day regardless of individual eligibility.
Thurmond also has initiatives to combat inequities in the school system including universal preschool for 4-year-olds regardless of background, race, zip code, immigration status, or income level. He also launched the
Black Student Achievement Taskforce to help quantify the impacts systemic and institutional racism have had on Black students in California.
Thurmond points out that he sponsored legislation to increase funding to the lowest performing students, ban suspension and expulsions in preschools, and secured $90 million for suspensions and chronic absenteeism programming.
“I know the impacts of what happens when our students don’t learn to read by third grade. Sadly, they end up dropping out in many cases and in the criminal justice system, and we’re going to change the narrative and flip the script. We’re going to educate, not incarcerate our kids.” Thurmond repeated a pledge for today’s kindergarteners to be able to read by third grade,” he said.
Recently, some education advocates pointed out that there has been a reported wave of retirements and disincentives that have led to an unprecedented teacher shortage across the nation. In response, Thurmond says he is creating new incentives to draw qualified people into the school system to help students, especially those who are of color.
“We’re offering scholarships for anyone who wants to become a teacher. $20,000,” Thurmond told California Black Media. “I sponsored a bill, HB 520, that was focused on how we get more male educators of color. And that bill turned into funding in the state budget. That now means our residency programs can be used to help have male educators of color as part of the beneficiaries of that program.”
