BILL ANALYSIS Ó
ACR 34
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Date of Hearing: April 12, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Marty Block, Chair
ACR 34 (Lara) - As Amended: April 5, 2011
SUBJECT : Ethnic studies programs.
SUMMARY : Formally supports and endorses the work of
California's ethnic studies programs in California's public
education institutions. Specifically, this resolution :
1)Makes numerous findings, including the following:
a) Ethnic studies as an academic discipline encompass
research, scholarship, and programs that study and teach
the experience of history, culture, and heritage of African
Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanas and Chicanos, Latinas
and Latinos, Native Americans, and other persons of color
in the United States.
b) Ethnic studies have grown into a respected academic
field that have fostered the need for faculty and staff
from diverse communities and broader representation at
California's universities.
c) Actions to ban ethnic studies distort our hallmark as a
diverse nation, and mischaracterize educational curricula
that affirm this diversity as reverse racism, hatred, and
ethnocentrism.
d) Elimination of ethnic studies within any of our state's
educational segments would put our students at a
disadvantage from a global perspective.
2)Endorses the invaluable work of California's ethnic studies
programs and their faculty, staff and students.
3)Recognizes the leadership provided by the beneficiaries of
these programs and supports the continuation of ethnic studies
programs at the University of California (UC), California
State University (CSU) and California Community Colleges
(CCC).
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This resolution is tagged nonfiscal
ACR 34
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by Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Need for this resolution : According to the author,
"Ethnic studies programs are vital to California's educational
system as well as its vastly diverse citizenry. The recent
actions taken in Arizona and our state's economic troubles
threaten the continued existence of ethnic studies centers and
programs throughout the K-12 public schools, the CSUs, CCCS and
UCs."
Arizona legislation . HB 2281, which went into effect on
December 31, 2010, bans schools from teaching classes that are
designed for students of a particular ethnic group, promote
resentment, advocate ethnic solidarity over treating pupils as
individuals, or promote the overthrow of the government. School
districts that do not comply with the law could have as much as
10% of their state funds withheld each month. The legislation
did not affect higher education programs.
Budget cuts : The Governor recently signed legislation that
reduces funding for UC, CSU, and CCC by a total of $1.4 billion
in 2011-12. Each of the segments is considering many options
for absorbing the funding reductions, including eliminating and
consolidating academic programs.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960