The Santa Barbara Unified School District and Just Communities Central Coast have submitted responses to the complaint filed by Fair Education Santa Barbara on December 10 that claims Just Communities’ material is anti-Caucasian, anti-Christian, and anti-male. Fair Education, a group of mostly anonymous concerned citizens, filed the lawsuit following the approval of a $300,000 contract between Just Communities and the school district in the fall. Fair Education also asked for a temporary freeze on the contract as the case moves forward.
Just Communities has been working with the district since 2005 to help close the achievement gap between Latino and white students. It provides implicit-bias and educational-equity workshops and instruction to teachers, parents, and students in the district. Its contract this year provides funding for seven programs — all but one are for educators and parents. All the programs are voluntary, and students must receive parent permission to attend.
The district has denied the allegations made by Fair Education that Just Communities and the district intentionally discriminated against the plaintiffs or their children on the basis of their race, ethnicity, religion, or sex. The complaint also alleges violation of California Public Contract Code for failure to put the contract up for bidding. Fair Education provided a list of individuals who’ve worked for the district, Just Communities, or both and labeled them a “potential conflict of interest.” Former school boardmember Ismael Ulloa is one of the individuals listed. In 2016, Ulloa was a paid instructor for Just Communities, according to the Fair Education complaint. While on the board in 2018, Ulloa voted to approve the Just Communities contract. However, Ulloa was not working for Just Communities when he voted to approve the contract. “SBUSD denies that there are any real, actual or potential conflicts of interest because of the alleged relationships,” reads SBUSD’s answer to the complaint.