Tony Thurmond Vows to Protect Education in California

Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

In the wake of the general election and Donald Trump’s win another term as president, California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), Tony Thurmond, is on a mission to protect public education.

On Nov. 8, Thurmond, members of the California legislature, educators, union leaders, and other elected officials expressed their concerns at a news conference about the possibility of the Trump Administration dismantling the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

“To tear down and abolish an organization that provides protections for our students is a threat to the well-being of our students and our families and of Americans,” Thurmond said.

Thurmond said losing 8 billion dollars in federal funding is at stake. During his campaign, Trump didn’t hesitate to take barbs at the DOE.

Closing the DOE doors could affect a range of scholastic programs, such as Special Education, English as a Second Language (ESL), free lunch, federal grants for college students, and Title I, a program that provides support to educate disadvantaged families.

Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), the chair of the Assembly Education Committee, spoke at the news conference held in the boardroom of the California Department of Education building.

Muratsuchi said, “We need to get ready now for what will start on Jan. 20 (2025).” “It is the job of every teacher, every school board member, every principal, every elected representative in the state of California who believes in public education,” he said. “It is time for us to stand up to protect all of these kids. When we are facing a bully who is targeting our most vulnerable students, we all need to stand up.”

Trump has said that he prefers the Choice School initiative, a policy that allows parents and students to use public funds to attend a school other than their district or local public school. Thurmond and supporters of the traditional public school system are asking President-elect Trump and the U.S. Congress to continue federal funding of the programs.

Thurmond said he has started reaching out to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and in the California legislature to get in front of Trump’s policy plans. “I’m prepared to sponsor legislation that would call on the California State Legislature and the Governor to backfill that funding to preserve and protect that funding for the students of California,” Thurmond said.

California Voters Embrace Stricter Crime Laws with Prop 36

California voters have approved Proposition 36, a ballot measure imposing stricter penalties for retail theft, property crimes, and drug offenses, effectively rolling back aspects of the state’s 2014 Proposition 47.

Prop 47 aimed to reduce California’s prison population by reclassifying some non-violent felonies as misdemeanors, shifting funds from incarceration to drug treatment and victim services. However, supporters of Prop 36 argue that Prop 47’s leniency has contributed to increased property crime, homelessness, and drug addiction.

Mike Gatto, a Democratic former state assemblymember from Los Angeles, is a proponent of Prop 36 and anticipates that the initiative will curb retail crime in the state.