ON MARCH 11, Josue Enamorado stood in the teachers’ parking lot of Kennedy High School. He was nervous for many reasons, but he knew he was in the right place, among a sea of fellow students, their families and Richmond community members.
They had one common goal: to stop the district from gutting the Pathways programs at Kennedy High School, which are essential in protecting the students’ futures.
The West Contra Costa Unified School District announced its proposed plans to cut 177 staffing positions in February. This was the latest move by the district to cut $32.7 million in costs by 2027.
The district reduced the number of layoffs to eight, but Kennedy High students had more to fear than losing a handful of beloved teachers with these major budget cuts. They’d lose what makes their school special, according to Enamorado.
“Some of our teachers told us they may not return next year, and they mentioned that (the budget cuts) might cut away some of our classes,” says Enamorado, a sophomore. “And, to be honest, at Kennedy, we barely have anything, so hearing that, we knew we had to organize something and see what we could do.”
Enamorado and other leadership students from Kennedy High used social media to mobilize other students and members of the Richmond community to fight cuts that would decimate important programs. The teenagers organized a major walkout using Instagram, expert planning skills and sheer willpower.
“I believe that they have every right to protest against something that they believe is unjust, so I’m going to absolutely support them in executing their rights,” says Jackelyn Avendaño, the ethnic studies teacher and leadership adviser at Kennedy High School.
No strangers to protests
Enamorado, co-president of Kennedy High’s leadership class, was part of the group of students who organized and promoted the walkout, which was staged by students to protest the district’s proposed budget cuts.
These students were no strangers to protest. Since Donald Trump assumed office as president, the leadership class has organized several events geared toward social justice, learning your rights, and protesting the administration’s actions, including the increase in ICE raids in a city with a large Latino population.
“Unfortunately, the narrative in the district, and in the area, is that our school is the bad one.” Jackelyn Avendaño, Kennedy High School teacher
Sometimes they used class time to plan these events, Avendaño said. Other times, they organized on their own time. Many of these national issues are relevant to Kennedy students. And, as leaders of their community, they do their best to inform fellow students with the information they need to stay safe.
But this was different. This time, the issue felt personal. There’s a widespread feeling among Kennedy High students that they are deprived of many opportunities other schools in the district get, like more substantial elective offerings. Avendaño said this feeling of being given less than other schools is nothing new.
“Unfortunately, the narrative in the district, and in the area, is that our school is the bad one,” she says. “Our students were like, ‘there’s no way you are going to take this away from us when we already feel that we get the bare minimum at Kennedy High School.’”
Kennedy has three Pathways programs — Career Technical Education, Information Technology, and Health and Medical — that aim to prepare students for professional and academic careers once they graduate. With the proposed budget cuts, these programs were at risk. Additionally, the school would have gone from an eight-bell schedule to a six-bell schedule, meaning students would spend more time in fewer classes. With only six classes, they would not have the opportunity to explore electives and expand their schedules beyond the foundational courses.
For students like Enamorado, this walkout was a no-brainer. They would not let these cuts happen and made their dissent known. Leadership students took to Instagram.
They wanted their reach to go beyond the student body at Kennedy because they thought this was an issue that affected everyone. So the students held an emergency meeting, which was announced via Instagram, and they started to discuss how they’d try to prevent these budget cuts.
Finally, they landed on a plan — leadership students would organize a walkout, protesting the district’s proposed budget cuts and the effects they would have on their school. They announced it on Instagram on March 6, the day of their emergency meeting.
It was the first of nine posts about the walkout, with informational graphics about senior prom and the spring carnival peppered throughout. The mix between promoting a normal high school life and urging their community to fight for social justice mimics the dynamics of the student body of Kennedy High, Avendaño says.
“When we were kids, we weren’t as in tune with how the district was managing their funds,” she says. “It’s very special working at Kennedy High School because just working with the kids is a counternarrative to what people say about kids from Richmond.”
Whenever she mentions her job, Avendaño says she’s usually met with groans and apologies that she has to be at Kennedy High, adding that the perception of what her students are like couldn’t be further from the truth. Her 43 students are leaders with a vision for the future, she says.
Forced to grow up quickly
At Kennedy High, 98% of the student body identifies as part of a minority group, and 65% are reportedly economically disadvantaged, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Kennedy High ranks as the lowest of seven high schools in the district, tied with Richmond High School, according to U.S. News & World Report. Being predominantly Latino from low-income families comes with a lot of false stereotypes, according to Avendaño.
“They take agency, and they’re very strong-minded and grounded, and I think that sets them apart,” says Avendaño, who also grew up in Richmond. “We have these kids who are leaders because of their lived experiences. Some of them have to grow up very quickly, so they’ve matured at different levels, or they’ve had to learn how to advocate for themselves.”
Avendaño admits that a part of her was afraid while planning for the walkout, for herself and her students.
“So I think every time there has been a demonstration, it’s definitely been in the back of my head that, OK, there could be some form of retaliation that can be directed at me from the district.”
She didn’t let that deter her, though. She said the students are very independent with their planning, and she stood by their decision to stage this walkout and supported them fully.
“It was never an option of whether or not I’m going to support them and stand by them, because it just aligns with who I am, and I believe that these students deserve to keep those Pathways and keep their teachers,” she said. “And so even though I was scared at times, at the same time I was at peace.”
The students persisted, despite interim Superintendent Kim Moses urging students to stay in class to avoid danger from crossing streets and unexcused absences.
“I feel like the district should know by now that we’re still going to fight no matter what.” Josue Enamorado, Kennedy High School sophomore
Enamorado was the only sophomore at the walkout, which made him nervous. Still, he committed to the walkout for the betterment of the school, which his mother also attended.
Following the walkout, the district reduced the number of proposed layoff notices to one.
It’s unclear if the layoff reductions were a direct result of the students’ walkout. Still, Enamorado considers the walkout to be a success. For him and his fellow leadership students, this is just the start, though.
“I feel like the district should know by now that we’re still going to fight no matter what,” Enamorado said. “If (budget cuts) were to happen again next year, we will continue to fight.”
This story originally appeared in EdSource.