$30,000 / 2014
California
Taryn Ishida, Executive Director
Website: www.caljustice.org
This $30,000 renewal grant will enable Californian’s for Justice (CFJ) to promote adequate and equitable school funding for all students in California to ensure that high school graduates are 100% prepared for college and career and that all high school students attend green and healthy schools. Last year, as a result of CFJ’s work to organize students across the state, the Board at Fresno Unified School District passed a resolution to introduce restorative justice practices in the district. In Oakland, CFJ staff and student leaders led community engagement efforts with Oakland Unified School District on bringing meaningful changes as part of the OUSD Voluntary Resolution Plan with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to reduce suspensions of Black males. CFJ student leaders across the state have launched their ‘My Future, My Voice’ campaign for Student Voice and have been fighting at the state level to ensure that the regulations from the State Board of Education. In Long Beach, the Every Student Matters campaign is pushing for fair discipline policies and alternatives to harsh and punitive. With last year’s passage of the California Local Control Funding Formula (LCCF), CFJ and allies will focus on the implementation process and making sure that students voices are heard, valued and reflected in school funding decisions. The proper implementation of LCFF will provide more resources and programs for all students and mainly the high need students.