The late community-organizing strategist Saul Alinsky once prescribed a golden rule: "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Modern progressives have perfected this tactic in their culture warfare against America. They single out individuals who don’t conform to the ideology, shame these individuals, make the issue an either-or moral absolute, and gaslight the opposition with accusations of hate, bigotry, racism, or divisions. But with awareness and strategy, we can fight back. The first critical step is for you to show up and speak at your local school board meetings, consistently.

Check out what is happening in the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), where 96% of the students are Hispanic, math proficiency rate stood at an abysmal 21% (English proficiency 30%), and 78% come from low-income families. Instead of focusing its energy on improving student performance, balancing the budgets, and helping those in need, the SAUSD board (4-to-1 progressive majority) is busy virtue-signaling and peddling hate. In the last two board meetings, the school board approved a “National Arab American Heritage Month” resolution and a “Stop Asian Hate” resolution. The former proclaims continued harms against Arab Americans in “misconceptions, bigotry and anti-Arab hate,” while the latter similarly laments increasing “racism, prejudice and hate crimes against AAPIs.”

SAUSD’s lone conservative board trustee Brenda Lebsack opposed both resolutions, urging her colleagues to honor Arab Muslims’ religious rights to protect girls’ sports, investigate glaring issues with the Stop AAPI Hate movement, and promote unity above all. For her principled dissent, Trustee Lebsack is facing retaliation from her union-backed colleagues and their woke followers. SAUSD board president chastised Trustee Lebsack for “a trend of negative comments.” Another trustee criticized her opposition to “fight racism.” Trustee Lebsack was called a “racist” and a “bigot” during public comments. Now, the Board is considering censuring her, unless she retracts her statements. Imagine if we had a group of local parents and community members constantly speaking up to remind them what should the board’s focus be, the SAUSD Board could have not gone this far. But it is never too late for you to step up to support school board members who are fighting for you.

As more parents and community members become aware of the battles in public education, the other side is trying to defend the status quo of un-education, misspending, and indoctrination.

The local teachers’ union in the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) has started a recall effort against four conservative board members, who are doing their best to reduce the school district’s budget deficit. Even a solid conservative board majority in the Palomar Community College District is contending with the wrath of managerial bureaucracy, with educrats infusing “anti-racism,” and DEI in board policies on non-discrimination. CFER President Frank Xu attended the most recent meetings for both GUHSD and Palomar College Board , during which he witnessed the pressure and attacks by the teachers’ unions targeting independent school board trustees during public comments. Frank spoke at one of the meetings as a Palomar College District resident. Sadly, along with him, there were only one or two speaking in support of independent trustees. With a bigger showing in support, we can improve outreach to the constituents who will make the trustees feel more supported.

To help independent school board members govern more effectively, we must rally around them. We can:

1. Voice our support at upcoming and future school board meetings.

*The Santa Ana Unified board will meet again at 6:30 pm, on next Tuesday (May 20th) at 1601 E. Chestnut Avenue in Santa Ana. If you live in or near Orange County, will you consider attending the meeting in support of Trustee Lebsack? You can also write to the board members and let them know the attacks on Trustee Lebsack’s right to free speech are shameful political retaliation.

2. Grow your own school district watchdog group to consistently monitor, challenge and fight back.

Even if you just have a small team of 3 to 4 individuals to start with, that’s already a huge support and comfort to the board members who are fighting for you! you can develop your group as long as you have the motivation and energy. CFER will help you along the way. Let us know at info@cferfoundation.org, once you are ready!

Going forward, CFER will closely monitor the situations in Santa Ana Unified, Grossmont Union High and Palomar College. We will report back to you and alert you to future developments in each case. At CFER, local organizing goes hand in hand with our policy monitoring and legal advocacy operations. Step by step, we are putting in practice our strategy of winning the hearts and minds of Americans, one school district at a time. If you support our vision and approve our track record, will you consider making a kind donation to us today?

Thank you warmly!