Pride Flag to Fly at MUSD Campuses Following Unanimous School Board Vote

Board amends last year's resolution to specify that flag must be flown at all school sites when in session during June; trustees split on superintendent's raise; updated Memorial Day schedule

The Progress Pride Flag will fly at all Martinez Unified School District school sites starting June 1 through the end of the school year, following a unanimous vote by the Board of Education at Monday’s meeting.

As was the case last year when the board approved flying the flag during Pride Month at the district office, a number of LGBTQ+ supporters, including students, spoke in favor of the move as a sign of support for equality and inclusivity. Many of them held and waved miniature Pride flags in the board room during the meeting. No one spoke against the proposal during public comment.

The primary source of debate and discussion was why the matter needed to come before the board again after it last year approved an ongoing resolution to fly the flag annually. However, that resolution applied only to flying it at the district office because school was not in session in June last year; this year, the school year ends June 6.

The item was added to Monday’s school board agenda after parents and community members asked that the flag be flown as well at school sites during the portion of the month when school is in session.

This year’s vote lacked the drama of last year’s, when board member Carlos Melendez initially opposed flying the flag, prompting a number of LGBTQ+ students from Alhambra High School to confront him at an emotionally charged board meeting where they detailed experiences with harassment and discrimination at school. Melendez ultimately changed his position and voted in favor of flying it at the district office.

Melendez did not comment on the matter Monday and voted in favor of the revised resolution with the rest of the school board to also fly the flag at all school sites. According to the resolution, the district will fly the Progress Pride flag “to inspire equity, celebrate diversity, and promote a safe and welcoming environment in our schools and the broader community.”

The highlighted portion of the amended Pride Month resolution states that the Pride Progress flag will be flown at school sites on the days school is in session.

Board member Anne Horack Martin acknowledged Monday that a “lot of people are really disheartened that we’re back here” but said that it was important to amend last year’s resolution to specifically state that the flag would be flown at all school sites so as to avoid “a situation where some schools choose to fly the flag and some schools choose not to fly the flag.” She said such an outcome “would be not at all the message that certainly that I want to send and I don’t think it’s in in the spirit of the resolution we already passed and which you’ll notice that we didn’t change a single thing to other than adding this language.”

Board member Yazmin Llamas said she had received emails from two MUSD educators asking that the flag not be flown at the school sites.

“I was saddened to receive these emails. The message that I received was that of intolerance,” she said. “When I hear someone say ‘I don’t want to fly the Pride flag,’ I also hear ‘I am intolerant toward immigrants, I am intolerant toward people of color, I am intolerant toward people whose first language isn’t English.’ I hear all of these phrases when I hear someone say, ‘I don’t want to fly the Pride flag.’

“If a child is going to a classroom and this is the ideology of their educator, it is not a safe place.”

There was no public comment on the matter by representatives of the district’s teachers union, the Martinez Education Association.

Among the speakers Monday was a John Swett Elementary parent who said, “I’ve heard it said in this meeting time and time again that it is about the kids, and this is another exceptional opportunity for you guys to show that you mean it.

“If it is about the kids, then it is about all the kids, especially those brave enough to own their differences, those who muster the vulnerability to share with the world, their peers, their teachers who they are.”

She recalled speaking to LGBTQ+ students from Alhambra at the city’s Pride celebration last year “who admitted that it’s still incredibly challenging to be out or open about who they are on campus, that their teachers and students alike clearly don’t welcome who they are.”

A high school senior who identified himself as queer and transgender asked the board to approve the amended resolution “for the kids who are scared to go to school, afraid that this day will be their last because of their or their family’s identity.”

Martinez Mayor Brianne Zorn, a district parent, also attended the meeting. Community members also raised the issue of flying the Pride flag at school sites during a City Council study session May 15 on the creation of a diversity, equity and inclusion commission for the city. As it has for several years, Martinez will fly the Pride Flag in front of City Hall during the month of June.

In other action Monday, the school board approved a 6% raise for Superintendent Helen Rossi, matching the increase recently approved for other district employees, bringing her total annual salary to $267,858.

Board President Courtney Masella-O’Brien and members Horack Martin and Melendez voted for the raise, praising Rossi’s 30-year career with MUSD and leadership of the district during a tumultuous period, including a current budget crisis. “I actually think we’re getting a bargain deal,” Masella-O’Brien said.

Tania Brugger and Llamas voted no. Brugger also praised Rossi’s leadership but said she wanted more information before voting for the raise given the district’s current fiscal challenges. Llamas pointed to the district’s budget woes and recent steep cuts to programs and services impacting students in explaining her opposition.

Memorial Day celebration

The city will host Memorial Day services on Monday from 10 a.m. to noon. The events begin at 10 a.m. at Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery, 115 Tarantino Drive, with a raising of the flag, then moves to Ygnacio Plaza in front of City Hall, 525 Henrietta St., where the full ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. The ceremony will conclude with a three-volley salute.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1351, Martinez, will host a flag raising at 9 a.m. at the Veteran Memorial Building, 930 Ward St.

Note: This is updated/corrected information from what was provided in Tuesday’s News You Can Use post.

Bad budget news for city

The City Council will hold a budget workshop Wednesday that figures to be decidedly gloomy, judging by the staff report prepared for the meeting.

City departments are recommending $520,000 in budget cuts for the 2024-25 fiscal year to deal with a structural deficit in which expenses continue to outpace revenues.

According to the report:

The City is facing more pronounced financial challenges than in recent cycles. While revenues are anticipated to be higher than in FY 2023-24, there continues to be a softening of consumer spending, further reductions in cannabis sales, and lower-than-anticipated charges for services, which are requiring budget cuts across City departments.

The workshop begins at 6:30 p.m. at the City Council chamber and on Zoom. The agenda and information on how to attend in person or remotely can be found at the following link: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/martinez/07fea027004d1e2b1ac02cf636f1ebf20.pdf