Albany Unified School District (CA) maintains affinity programming for ‘Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color’ which includes a district funded overnight trip to Virginia; district has goals and strategies to hire staff based on race and offers a ‘mentorship and retention program for teachers of color’

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Incidents

Issues

SUMMARY

Albany Unified School District (CA) maintains affinity programming for “Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color” which includes a district funded overnight trip to Virginia for the groups. The district also has goals and strategies in place to hire staff based on race, and offers a “mentorship and retention program for teachers of color.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Per district strategic plans, “Goal 2: Whole Child Development and Belonging” includes “Maintaining affinity programs such as Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color.”
  • The district’s 2025-2026 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) dedicates $1,257,234 for “Social Emotional/Mental Health Supports” which includes “Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color” programming. According to the district’s 2024-2025 LCAP, it dedicated $1,264,000 to SEL and mental health supports that include maintaining “Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color Programs.”
  • The district approved an overnight trip to HBCUs for students involved in the “Young Men and Women of Color Mentoring and Advisory Program.”
  • The Superintendent’s “Goal 4: Recruit and Retain a Diverse, High-Quality Staff” includes indicators such as “year-over-year growth in staff diversity relative to student demographics” and “increased participation in underrepresented staff.”
  • According to the Superintendent’s goals, by June 2026 the district will “increase the diversity of certified and classified staff, reflecting the diversity of AUSD students and families.” Metrics include the “diversity of new hires will increase as reported in HR demographic data,” the launching of a “new mentorship and retention program for teachers of color in partnership with the Black Teacher Project,” and “host a Family-led Teacher and Staff of Color Recruitment Fair to deepen understanding of our students’ and families’ needs to increase representation among staff so that our workforce more closely reflects the diversity of our student community.”

DISTRICT PROGRAMMING

Goal 2: Whole Child Development and Belonging

According to a district webpage, 2025-2026 goals laid out in the “Emergency Strategic Plan” and “Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)” include “Maintaining affinity programs such as Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color.”

The district’s 2025-2026 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) dedicates $1,257,234 for “Social Emotional/Mental Health Supports” which include maintaining “Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color Programs to provide social emotional supports to most underserved students.”

2025_local_control_and_accountability_plan_albany_unified_school_district_20250618Download

According to the district’s 2024-2025 LCAP report, it dedicated $1,264,000 for “Social Emotional/Mental Health Supports” which included maintaining “Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color programs” that “provide social emotional supports to most underserved students.”

ausd2024-2025localcontrolandaccountabilityplanlcap61124Download

On March 10, 2026, the Board of Education approved a district funded overnight trip to Virginia for fifteen students from the “Albany High School Young Men and Women of Color Mentoring and Advisory Program.” The purpose of the trip is for “young men and women of color to develop social, personal, and academic success skills.” The cost of the trip is listed at $42,845.

Board of Education Regular Meeting – Approve Overnight Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Field TripDownload

Goal 4: Recruit and Retain a Diverse, High Quality Staff

A “Superintendent Report” presentation to the board from February 19, 2026, states that the superintendent’s “Goal 4: Recruit and Retain a Diverse, High Quality Staff” focuses on “strengthen inclusive hiring and retention systems by expanding equitable recruitment pipelines, implementing mentorship and affinity-based supports, and using stay and exit interview data to inform retention strategies.”

The “Goal 4” slide includes “accomplishments” such as “Black Teacher Project professional learning engaged 10 AUSD staff, including all site principals, two Cabinet members, and staff who are also district parents.”

Listed indicators feature “year-over-year growth in staff diversity relative to student demographics” and “increased participation in underrepresented staff mentorship/affinity groups.”

Superintendent Report February 10_ 2026_1440142e4gxi4ni4zglywc5gitxur32Download

According to the superintendent’s updated goals for 2025-2026 which were presented at the November 8, 2025, board retreat, “by June 2026” the district will “increase the diversity of certified and classified staff, reflecting the diversity of AUSD students and families.” Metrics include the “diversity of new hires will increase as reported in HR demographic data,” the launching of a “new mentorship and retention program for teachers of color in partnership with the Black Teacher Project,” and “host a Family-led Teacher and Staff of Color Recruitment Fair to deepen understanding of our students’ and families’ needs to increase representation among staff so that our workforce more closely reflects the diversity of our student community.”

Sara Stone Draft Superintendent Goals -Standards-Performance Indicators_1306419e4gxi4ni4zglywc5gitxur32Download