AASSC Demands Accountability by SDUSD for San Diego African American Students

(San Diego, CA )The African American Student Success Coalition (AASSC) will hold a Press Conference on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. outside of the Eugene Brucker Education Center located at 4100 Normal Street, to address the lack of accountability for the educational outcomes of African American Students in San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). The current budget reduction plan exacerbates the district’s overall lack of support for African American and African students.

The AASSC demands more accountability by SDUSD for the educational outcomes of African American students. Currently, there is no accountability or fiscal transparency in SDUSD as it pertains to how the budget addresses the needs of African American students. As a result, AASSC requested a fiscal and performance audit by the County Office of Education on April 12th. Specifically, Superintendent Cindy Marten and district leadership have failed to respond publicly to numerous inquiries regarding exactly how the enacted budget cuts and personnel layoffs adversely affect the schools in Southeast San Diego, an area that serves a large percentage of African American and African children. It is unconscionable that Superintendent Marten has repeatedly declined to meet with AASSC and the broader community to publicly discuss the effects of district efforts. AASSC has yet to receive any data, updates or informationregarding strategies, plans or goals enacted by the district leadership to address the persistent underachievement of African American and African students in SDUSD.

AASSC represents a diverse group of civil rights, education, community-based, and parent organizations from Southeast San Diego. We are very concerned about the future of public education for African American and African students. We are fighting for justice in education, including full, transparent and equitable budgets for our public schools. We are gravely disappointed that out of the 1,094 school districts in California, SDUSD is one of 39 are facing severe budget cuts, and in SDUSD, the cuts are disproportionately affecting the most needy communities. The leadership and fiscal incompetence is reprehensible and we need all governing authorities to immediately intervene and protect our children.

AASSC demands:

• Immediately, SDUSD board of trustees direct superintendent Cindy Marten to provide, via SDUSD fiscal and performance audits, documentation of how SDUSD is using district funds to meet the needs of African American students, the measurable effect of such efforts, and the effect of cuts the board is making on district programs/services supposed to be facilitating improvement in the educational outcomes of African American and African students. If the SDUSD board of trustees refuses to direct superintendent Marten as stipulated, we demand the San Diego County Office of Education initiate such an audit, given their role of fiscal oversight.

• Superintendent Cindy Marten meet publicly with representatives from the AASSC and provide a timely update on the LCAP implementation and results (or lack thereof) of the Board-approved Blueprint to Accelerate the Achievement of African American and African Students. If Ms. Marten is unwilling or unable to meet publicly with AASSC and other concerned community members about the achievement of African American and African Students, then the AASSC calls for her immediate termination.

Participating groups in the African American Student Success Coalition (AASSC) include:

1. The Association of African American Educators (AAAE)
2. The San Diego Voice and View Point
3. Black American Political Association of California (BAPAC) 4. Black Men United (BMU)
5. Black Women United (BWU)
6. Urban League, San Diego County
7. Martin Luther King, Jr. Democratic Club
8. Delta Sigma Theta San Diego Alumnae Chapter
9. Mosque #8
10. The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)