Parent leaders from across California organizing for education equity visit state legislators to uplift Black Student Achievement, Special Education and High Quality Tutoring.
This March, Innovate staff and parent leaders represented Innovate at CalSac’s 20th Annual Afterschool and Summer Challenge, an event geared to advocate around out-of-school time and expanded learning. Innovate was proud to be a first time sponsor where our Director of Statewide Advocacy, Joanna French served on the steering committee to coordinate the logistics. Over 500 youth, afterschool providers, education leaders, and parent leaders joined the event—the largest attendance in its 20 year history.
Ending with a powerful speech by parent leader Tonya Craft Perry, a member of the Black Parent Network, and statewide parent leaderboard.
At the rally, parent leaders LaQuisha Anderson, Aida Vega, and Petronila Paxtor gave interviews to the press to uplift parent voices! On Tuesday afternoon, our Innovate team led legislative visits with Assemblymember Gipson, and the Offices of Assemblymember Rendon, and others to discuss the importance of afterschool/expanded learning programs and the need to protect the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P), while also identifying additional funding to expand afterschool to more middle and high school students.
On Wednesday, we kicked off the day with an informal meet and greet with partner organizations and had representatives from Children Now, Partnership for Children and Youth, and Sobrato join us. From there, our team conducted 13 legislative visits and research meetings (many of them fully bilingual in English/Spanish) where parent leaders shared the three priorities they voted last year and have continued advocating for with the intention of identifying champions and gathering information to inform our campaign strategy. Kristie Sepulveda Burchit, the Executive Director of Educate.Advocate., one of the co-sponsors of our bill SB 445 joined us on a visit and met with parent leaders as well. Throughout the day, we met with the following individuals and offices:
- Office of Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas
- Office of Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
- Senator John Laird
- Senator Maria Durazo
- Office of Assemblymember Miguel Santiago
- Assemblymember Mike Gipson
- Office of Senator Lena Gonzalez
- Office of Senator Scott Wiener
- Edgar Cabral, Legislative Analyst’s Office
- Michael Funk, Director of Expanded Learning Division, CDE (oversees ELO-P funding)
- Senator Anthony Portantino
- Office of Senator Cortese
- Tanya Lieberman, Chief Consultant/Staff Director, Assembly Education Committee
We are advancing our statewide initiatives by continuing to build partnerships with California legislators and staff members. With some exciting commitments made throughout these meetings, we move forward to build parent power for education equity for California’s most vulnerable students.
Innovate Public Schools is a nonprofit community organization that builds the capacity of parents and educators working together to create excellent and equitable public schools.