DividED: Hayward Unified School District

  • Hayward Unified School District - California

Incidents

Issues

Total paid to consultant for race-based program: $806,660

Total federal funds used: $190,380*

*This is an incomplete number due to unclear breakdowns in funds used in several contracts.

SUMMARY

Since at least 2020, Hayward Unified School District has paid The Village Method, Inc. $806,660 for a Youth Enrichment Program (YEP) for African American students and their families. Additionally, the district used over $190,380 in federal funds (ESSER, Title I, and 21st Century Community Learning Center) to pay for the race-based programming.

THE VILLAGE METHOD, INC.

The Village Method, Inc. states that it has “been providing after school programming, event management, mentorship and tutoring services throughout the San Francisco Bay Area” for over 20 years. The organization’s “method” is to “combine practice and research-based Afrocentric family engagement with youth development, academic coaching and cultural enrichment programming.”

The organization also states that partnering with them will “alleviate the challenges that come with improving the relationship that Black youth have with mathematics and classroom instruction.”

The scope of services state that scholars will be “more engaged, enthusiastic, and
inquisitive explorers during their academic journey” and this will be accomplished by “implementing research and practice-based culturally-responsive programming, asset-based youth development and Afrocentric family engagement methodologies in collaboration with the school district,” which is “embedded in everything that we do and our relationship management model is what we leveraged to build rapport and trust throughout our community.”

TVM Amendment_5.26Download

According to a September 22, 2021, contract abstract, the goal of the agreement is to “create a network of sustainable support for long-term African American student achievement.”

“Expected Outcomes” include increasing “African American student engagement, voice and validation,” increasing “African American parent involvement and participation,” increasing “African American student homework completion” and “African American student academic performance,” decreasing “(-) on African American Student Report Cards,” and a decreasing “office referrals, due to behavior, involving African American students.”

CONTRACTS

Below is a list of all board approvals for contracts with the organization.