Thread by @electwizard

Devastating data presented by @AWhitTwit of @mpusd_now: 18.5% of the ~9,700 students in the district are experiencing homelessness under #McKinneyVento, unrelated to but certainly not helped by COVID. District is majority Latin@ w/significant rates of poverty in City of Marina 1/

and @City_of_Seaside. Seaside is 7.3% Black and Marina is 6.7% Black, the largest proportion of Black residents between the Bay Area and LA. @CityofMonterey is 4.0% Black, less than the 6.5% seen statewide in California. 2/

Marina is 18.5% AAPI, but Seaside is 12.6% AAPI and Monterey is 7.9% AAPI, compared to 16.0% statewide. 3/

Seaside is 43% Latin@ and Marina is 30.9% Latin@, but Monterey is 16.2% Latin@. The statewide proportion of Latin@s in California is 39.4%. 4/

Monterey is 66.7% white alone. Marina is 35.8% white alone and Seaside is 32.1% white alone, compared to 36.5% statewide. 5/

The percentage of foreign-born persons in Seaside and Marina is about 50% higher than Monterey, which is in alignment with statewide numbers. 6/

The median assessed value of owner-occupied homes in Monterey is $782,500, $513k in Marina, and $488,400 in Seaside. Statewide, that number is $505k. 7/

The median home price in Monterey as of February 2021 was $903,925. In Marina, it was $692,191, and in Seaside, it was $631,163. Statewide, that number as of December 2020, that number was $717,930. 8/

The percentage of people living in Marina who work in the civilian labor force is 65.3%. In Seaside, that’s 62.1%, and in Monterey, that’s 56.2%. Statewide, the number is 63.3%. 9/

The median household income in Monterey is $80,694, but in Marina, it’s $64,258, and in Seaside, that’s $63,575. Statewide, that amount is $75,235. Per capital income is similarly distorted. 10/

The percentage of the population over the age of 65 is 18.2% in Monterey, 14.9% in Marina, and 11.0% in Seaside. Statewide, that number is 14.8%. 11/

The percentage of the population under the age of 18 is 24.6% in Seaside and 22.7% in Marina but only 15.3% in Monterey. That’s compared with 22.5% statewide. 12/

The data are clear: Monterey is older, whiter, and significantly wealthier than Seaside and Marina—even more than the state as a whole. The income and housing disparities seen across our three cities bleed into the district, with unequal and inequitable outcomes for kids. 13/

This means we need the district to be more intentional and focused with how it directs its LCAP funds, and I challenge the trustees to study the concept of targeted universalism as championed by john a. powell of @oandbinstitute at UC Berkeley. 14/

“Targeted universalism means setting universal goals pursued by targeted processes to achieve those goals...[t]he strategies developed to achieve those goals are targeted...” 15/

“...based upon how different groups are situated within structures, culture, and across geographies to obtain the universal goal.” tl;dr Some groups are so far behind that we need to help them even more so we don’t perpetuate inequities and injustice. belonging.berkeley.edu/targeteduniver… 16/

Anyway, we’re facing a huge crisis on the Monterey Peninsula. This other graph by @AWhitTwit identifies just 1% of those ~1,800 students is literally homeless and currently in sheltered. But that’s 180 kids who sleep outside! That’s both heartbreaking and maddening! 17/

I challenge the district’s trustees and Superintendent @pkdiff to take immediate action to address the child homelessness crisis in our community, through the lens of targeted universalism. 18/

Think outside the box, and ask your city partners for help. It’s almost budget season and Seaside is getting $8m and Monterey is getting $6m in #AmericanRescuePlan funds. These are some of the most vulnerable residents in our communities, and it’s our duty to help. /end