Green New City: Public Schools

• While the Mayor has no direct control over the school budget or system — that’s run by the school board — we are 100% committed to funding schools. We support Proposition 15, a ballot measure that if passed would generate billions for schools through taxes on commercialproperties valued at $3 million+.
• A third of the school budget comes from the local government. We are committed to doing everything we can to keep that funding, even in a pandemic, and finding innovative taxes to increase it if possible. There is still a significant achievement gap between White students versus Latinx, African Americans, and low-income students which must be addressed, in part through dedicated funding for the 2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children and Youth Collaborative. While the Mayor does not control BUSD, we strongly support racially diversifying the district’s hiring practices such that teachers and staff are representative of the student body. In that spirit, our campaign supports Prop 16.
• We want the school system to work more closely with the Berkeley government to ensure these two agencies are coordinating as effectively as possible. We plan to have a weekly 1:1 meeting with the superintendent to deploy City departments such as the Department of Health Services to help schools re-open when it can be done safely. We also support the recent school board resolution to remove police from Berkeley schools.
• It is crucial that City resources — such as free COVID-19 testing and access to the Department of Housing and Community Services’ resources for our unhoused students — are available in our school system to help address inequities many families continue to face. We’re also committed to equitable student access to distance learning should it become necessary due to the pandemic.

Our vision for a better Berkeley includes maintaining our district’s top-tier status and eliminating the achievement gap to ensure all students graduate high school and are provided viable access to college and careers. If you share our vision for Berkeley, sign up to join the movement at www.wayneformayor.com/volunteer.