Three years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation mandating high schools in the state offer a minimum of one semester of ethnic studies starting in the 2025-26 school year. To date, local schools have been holding up their end and preparing to offer the course without guaranteed funding from the state.

In the 2025-26 proposed state budget released last month, Newsom touted $118.9 billion for TK-12 schools that will go toward a variety of programs including training math and reading coaches, teacher recruitment and expanding summer and after-school programs. But just six months before the ethnic studies mandate is set to kick in, there is still no funding allocated to supporting these courses across the state.

“One of (ethnic studies) main goals is to have students see themselves reflected in the literature they’re studying,” said Lawrence Haggquist, executive director of educational services at Pacific Grove Unified School District.Ethnic studies aims to provide students with a broad view of the histories, cultures and struggles of historically marginalized groups. Assembly Bill 101, signed into law in October 2021, mandates that beginning with the graduating class of 2029-30, all California students will need to complete at least one semester of a qualifying ethnic studies course.

While Peninsula schools have followed AB 101 without much trouble, several districts across the state have had trouble getting on the same page with the curriculum. In November, a federal judge threw out a 2022 lawsuit against the United Teachers Los Angeles and the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium that alleged the curriculum promoted antisemitism and condemned white privilege and capitalism among other things.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin ruled the lawsuit, made on behalf of two Jewish teachers and parents, lacked evidence.

The “liberated” approach criticizes systems of power and oppression including white supremacy and imperialism. While the liberated approach was included in the first draft of the model curriculum, the State Board of Education ultimately rewrote it and districts were told not to adopt the earlier drafts.

Local efforts

Pacific Grove Unified will be following the California Department of Education’s ethnic studies Model Curriculum to guide its planning and implementation. The state model curriculum includes sample lessons and focuses on African American, Chicano/a and Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander and Native American studies.

The district has a teacher lined up to teach the course which will consist of a full-year class in the Social Science department, according to Haggquist.

The class is taking the place of a geography course which has been integrated with the U.S. and world history courses. The course lines up with the district’s core values of belonging, safety and prosperity, said Haggquist.

“We feel the course fits really well into our district vision,” he said. “It promotes a sense of belonging and psychological safety within our students.”

Pacific Grove Unified has been building out the state curriculum with supplementary materials and readings through outreach with community partners including the Indigenous community. According to Haggquist, the district has also recognized a need for Middle Eastern representation and is working toward developing those resources.

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has been offering a semester-long course at the high school level since the 2020-21 school year according to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Cresta McIntosh.

“It has been developed to give students an opportunity to learn about different cultural and historical perspectives,” said McIntosh.

The district has worked with its curriculum council to ensure its current curriculum aligns with the state’s recommended model, she said.

“Both research and experience show us that students learn best when they see connections between their education and their own lives,” said McIntosh. “We know that ethnic studies, based on the requirements provided from the state, gives students … a broader view of the world and it supports them with critical thinking and appreciation for diverse experiences and perspectives.”

The state model has also helped Carmel Unified School District develop a plan to introduce an ethnic studies course into the 11th grade Social Studies department.

The district put together a curriculum adoption committee consisting of two high school instructional leaders, two teachers, a student and parent representative, an administrator, counselor, a special education teacher and secondary English language specialist.

At an October board of education meeting, the committee presented trustees with its proposed course framework. The four proposed units of the one-semester course include teaching students about individual identity, exploring local and community history, historical perspectives of systems and power and urging students to consider what they can do to be more civically engaged.

The committee will present its latest update on course implementation at the next board meeting on Feb. 26, according to Mary Petty, deputy superintendent of educational services.

Funding concerns

While districts are developing the curriculum, it’s the implementation, including training teachers on the curriculum, that state funding could help with. If the state budget doesn’t ultimately include funding for the course, districts will be on their own.

Without state funding, Monterey Peninsula Unified’s course would go on relatively the same as it has since 2020. “We are always prepared to make sure that we are adapting as necessary to budgetary changes while ensuring that we are supporting our students,” said McIntosh.

The timing of Carmel Unified’s initial course offering may be impacted without state funding, said Petty.

“We’re hopeful that the funding will come through,” said Haggquist. “We’ll (still) continue carrying this class. We’re going to do our best to implement it with fidelity and the input from our community partners.”

Alongside a potential lack of state funding, another setback to the successful implementation of ethnic studies courses could be President Donald Trump’s rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures. Ethnic studies falls under the umbrella of DEI, and could be subject to executive orders.

“We’ll continue to support students in thinking critically, engaging in history and continuing to build understanding across different communities, regardless of what we’re up against,” said McIntosh. “We do remain committed to making sure that we’re supporting our students and that the curriculum meets state expectations.”