The California Legislature is weighing a proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom to set aside $300 million for low-income schools. But some education advocates say it won't do enough to improve educational outcomes for Black students.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber, a Democrat from San Diego, introduced a bill last year aimed at ensuring more education money reaches Black students. But she pulled the bill after conversations with Newsom, citing concerns that it could violate the state or U.S. constitution because it focused on one specific racial group, even though it didn't mention “Black” by name. The Democratic governor's new approach, which Weber supports, instead targets money to schools with a high concentration of students who qualify for free lunch under a federal program.
