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Public commenters press AUHSD for more transparency, call for mascot change and support for paid leave
Summary
During general public comment, residents urged earlier public posting of budget documents, raised alarm about chronic absenteeism and low site-level math results, urged removal of offensive Native American mascots under AB 3074, and supported paid pregnancy disability leave as an employee retention measure.
At the June 4 Anaheim Union High School District meeting, several public commenters raised community concerns that the board and staff acknowledged.
A community member, Germaine Newman, told trustees that full budget documents and LCAP materials were not available ahead of the hearing and said printouts in the room were illegible. Newman also cited site-level math results at Anaheim High School—an asserted 11.94% meeting the state standard for math among graduating seniors—and urged the board to target resources to schools with the largest gaps.
Bianca Garcia, a district alum and community member, urged the board not to fear a proposed state expansion of paid pregnancy disability leave (which district staff estimated could cost the district roughly $500,000 annually). She framed paid leave as a community-schools investment that could help retain employees and improve student experience.
Several commenters raised concerns about the Anaheim High School mascot name "Colonists" and asked the district to comply promptly with the California Racial Mascot Act (Assembly Bill 3074). Speakers described the term as offensive to Indigenous people and asked for a clear, timely timeline for any required changes.
Board and staff responses during the meeting included assurances that the full LCAP and budget packet were part of the board materials and would be publicly available, and that staff would provide more detailed site-level data on attendance and subgroup performance. The public hearing on the proposed budget was then closed; the board set formal budget adoption for its next meeting.
