Research & Publications

Data about school counselors had been required previously, but this report provides the first state-level student-to-staff ratio comparison for these other school-based mental health personnel, along with school counselors. A key finding of the report is that schools are under-resourced and students are overcriminalized.

A toolkit for communities seeking improved water, sanitation, and other municipal services Everyone needs basic municipal services, ranging from water to garbage and sewage removal. But these services are not equitably distributed. The purpose of this toolkit is to help residents advocate for the services they need and deserve. It explains a key process by which local governments make decisions about the allocation of public services and the ways in which residents can participate to voice their concerns and urge for changes in their communities. Community participation ensures decision-makers see a neighborhood’s needs and invest time and money into improving those neighborhoods. We hope that this toolkit empowers residents to make changes in their communities and stay involved in processes that impact their lives.

Nosotros esperamos que este manual práctico sirva de herramienta para que los residentes de California hagan cambios en sus comunidades y para que se mantengan involucrados en los procesos que impactan su vida.

A report by the ACLU Foundations of California and Fresno Building Health Communities, “Is Funding for High-Need Students Actually Reaching Those Students? A Review of Fresno Unified’s Local Control Accountability Plan” details one school district’s attempt to improperly use state funds designated for high need students. In 2014, California passed the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a law that fundamentally changed the way the state funds its public schools. The Legislature intended LCFF to promote equity by directing more resources to high-need students, including those who are low-income, foster youth, and English-language learners. Under the LCFF, school districts are required to create an LCAP plan and describe how they plan to spend funds to meet annual goals for all of their students.

This report recommends a hierarchy of reforms based on their financial feasibility. Policy updates and improvements would require no new resources and would help to improve degraded police-community relationships.

“Smart city” products are often touted as cost-efficient solutions to providing government services and addressing societal challenges, but in reality, these technologies are no more intelligent than the data and algorithms behind them. Like other tools, their effectiveness depends on when, where and how they are used. These technologies can cause real harm to people—they have the power to exacerbate racial or economic inequality and can expose deeply personal information to law enforcement or private parties.