Woodland Joint Unified School District Trustee Emily MacDonald again wasted time engaging in political posturing rather than doing the work of governing.
Despite the requirement that Woodland schools implement coursework in Ethnic Studies, Trustee MacDonald bizarrley tried to claim it was a “luxury item” that the District shouldn’t fund. Further, she refused to state out loud what item she was referring to, only calling it “Purchase Order 3” on the list of expenditures the Board was agreeing to fund. Eventually, the remainder of the Board of Trustees voted on the necessary expenditures withought MacDonald’s participation.
As recall proponents predicted, Trustee MacDonald’s discriminatory actions did not stop with the LGBTQ+ community, as she is now working to stop the already mandated Ethnic Studies curriculum.
The Woodland Joint Unified School District is implementing an Ethnic Studies curriculum as it is a graduation requirement, and has been since the 2022-2023 school year. The funds Trustee MacDonald labeled as a “luxury item” were from the State of California and could only be spent on Ethnic studies
In addition to today’s grandstanding, Trustee MacDonald has since June 2023:
- Referred to members of the LGBTQ+ community as a result of “social contagion”
- Voted “No” on a resolution to support all students equally in WJUSD
- Refused to vote on Pride Resolution honoring the LGBTQ+ students in WJUSD schools
- Admitted that if she knew she was going to win, she “probably would not have run.”
For these reasons and others, parents, teachers, and allies are working to recall her from office. Woodland students are poorly served by blatant discrimination and lack of competence.