Culver City Unified School Board President Triston Ezidore held a press conference in front of the school district’s offices at 4 pm on Feb. 11, 2025, decrying the idea of ending or downsizing the position of Assistant Superintendent of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Ezidore noted that the district’s commitment to DEI was essential to continuing student achievement.
“Our commitment to DEI is not available to be rolled back.” Ezidore offered. “We all know – there’s never enough money. Not in the district, not in the state…so making this a budget issue does not work for me. This is about policy and priority.”
Ezidore was preemptive on a discussion on the agenda of the evening’s school board meeting, and he brought some star power to support his point. Areva Martin, CEO of the Special Needs Network, spoke to the federal threat to cut funding, “endangering every student with special needs … in Culver City and the State of California. [These efforts to eradicate] equity and inclusion affect all of us…If our school district is stripped of diversity, equity and inclusion, it will have a terrible affect on every neuro-atypical student.”
Also at the podium was Culver City Council member Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, speaking from her job at the Children’s Defense Fund, where she is the Director of Educational Equity. The CDF exists to promote “children getting the support they need, getting the education they need,” and that CCUSD’s consideration of eliminating the DEI position won’t meet anyone’s needs.
At the board meeting, in the same building later that evening, a presentation on budgetary concerns highlighted a drop in enrollment, which then created a budget shortfall; fewer students, less ADA funds from the state. After a report from Superintendent Dr. Brian Lucas, the board members added their considerations on changing the currently empty desk of Assistant Superintendent of DEI to another level of administration.
Board member Brian Guerrero offered that “As a teacher, I would not have said that the answer is adding another administrator,” but noted that DEI was important, and that the district needed to consider how to keep it prioritized.
Stephanie Loredo, the Board member to be credited with the recent success of the Night Market event for Lunar New Year, highlighted how much volunteering goes into making those events successful. “If we are serious about supporting equity and inclusion, we need to look at how much of their own time our staff are putting in on these very popular events.”
While there was no vote to be called, there was a great deal of consideration and conversation from board members, administration and parents. The decision will come back at a future board meeting.
Judith Martin-Straw