Policies proposed to boost boys of color ASSEMBLY

Assemblyman Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland) delivers the Democratic response to Governor Schwarzenegger's planned veto of the budget passed early this morning. Swanson made the statement after Schwarzenegger's press conference Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at the state Capitol in Sacramento, California. Schwarzenegger talked about the veto during a press conference at the state Capitol. He said the combined legislature was "kicking the can" down the road rather than solving the budget problem. less Assemblyman Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland) delivers the Democratic response to Governor Schwarzenegger's planned veto of the budget passed early this morning. Swanson made the statement after Schwarzenegger's press ... more Photo: Robert Durell, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Robert Durell, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Policies proposed to boost boys of color 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

State leaders should revise school testing and funding, extend health care coverage for those aging out of foster care, and make it harder for schools to suspend and expel - all to improve the odds of success for boys and young men of color in California.

Those are among dozens of recommendations from a state legislative committee that spent the past year and a half looking into why the state's minority youth are less healthy, have lower test scores and are more likely to be incarcerated than other young people.

The Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, led by Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, D-Alameda, will introduce more than 50 pages of policy and legislative recommendations at a hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday.

The report also endorses 19 bills, eight of which aim to reduce "alarmingly high" rates of suspension and expulsions - nearly 800,000 a year - that disproportionately impact students of color. More than half of those disciplinary actions stem not from serious offenses such as violence, but from misbehavior or defiance, the report states.

Big response

Swanson, who pushed for creation of the committee, said he was floored by the overwhelming response as the bipartisan panel held hearings in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and Coachella (Riverside County) over the past 18 months. They heard from more than 2,000 constituents, including hundreds of youths, whom Swanson said had similar concerns no matter what the city.

"It was very interesting - the kids who were there were not the ones who had lost their way, but those who didn't want the system to push them in a direction where they found themselves in the criminal justice system," he said, adding that all Californians should be interested in the issue.

"If we are already spending $50,000 a year per person in state prison, or $200,000 in the juvenile justice system, it isn't a question of money - it's a question of how we prioritize the money we have," Swanson said.

The success of African American, Latino, American Indian and Southeast Asian males is crucial, the report states. More than 75 percent of Californians under age 25 identify as people of color, and many are "trapped in a cycle of prison, poverty and disadvantage," it says, blaming "deteriorated schools and neighborhoods, poor health, dysfunctional social support and limited job opportunities."

Federal officials will also weigh in at the hearing to talk about changes at the national level.

Although changing the rules on kicking students out of school might help, equally important is improving school support programs, said Russlynn Ali, President Obama's assistant education secretary for civil rights, who will address the committee.

"If students and teachers don't have the support they need, then what's the point of ensuring they are in school at all?" she said.

School discipline

Another key issue for California youths is the juvenile justice system and how it intersects with school discipline, said James Bell, executive director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute in San Francisco.

The organization addresses racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile justice systems around the country and has found that many incarcerated youths were referred by their school, not by law enforcement.

Bell, who attended several of the committee's meetings and will speak at the hearing, praised the new report, particularly the recommendation that local and state governments support less punitive approaches to juvenile justice.

Swanson, who will term out of the Assembly this year, said the committee hopes to pass at least 14 of the 19 bills endorsed in the report before the end of August and is hopeful the governor will sign them. He plans to ask Assembly Speaker John Pérez to appoint a new chair so the committee can continue its work next year, and see whether lawmakers should create a state commission on the status of boys and men of color.

Recommendations Here is a sampling of recommendations from the state Assembly's Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color: Student progress: Revise the state's school accountability system to focus on individual student progress, not school-wide proficiency. Help for students: Create an early warning system, including tutoring, for students at risk of failing the high school exit exam. School financing: Change the school finance formula so funding is based on regional costs and student needs. Teacher hiring: Support local efforts to hire experienced, effective teachers at high-poverty schools. Health care: Require that the state's health care exchange and Medi-Cal program target and enroll eligible boys and young men of color. Foster youths: Adopt legislation that extends health care coverage for foster youths up to age 26. Job help: Remove policy barriers so formerly incarcerated youths can get jobs more easily. Expulsions: Support legislation to reduce suspensions and expulsions for nonserious infractions at school. Student re-entry: Adopt legislation to create incentives for school districts to re-enroll dropouts.