Virginia County Spends Nearly $500g on Race Programs for Schools

A public school system in Virginia is spending at least half-a-million dollars on programs designed to counter systemic bias and oppression, the latest of many controversial initiatives connected to critical race theory.

West Nova News reported on Friday that Loudoun County Public Schools was paying more than $50,000 to the California-based Equity Collaborative, which says it focuses on uncovering “personal and institutional biases that prevent all people, and especially people of color, from reaching their fullest potential.”

The core tenets of its work are “oppression analysis, learning theory, and coaching for change.”

Since 2018, the consulting firm and its owner have received $422,500 from the county. According to The Washington Free Beacon, that included $90,000 in salary for Jamie Almanzan, the owner who is described as an equity leadership coach, and $120,000 for an eight-day “systemic equity assessment.” Much of the money — $314,000 — was directed in 2019 towards coachng and training sessions.

Loudoun was just one of many school districts to embrace this type of curriculum amid a wave of racial tension surrounding high-profile police encounters with Black Americans.

The rapidly-spreading focus on oppression, structural racism, and unconscious bias is generally considered to be an outgrowth of critical race theory. After researcher Chris Rufo identified a slew of related trainings in federal agencies, President Trump banned them via executive order.

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He also signed an order in November designed to promote what he called “patriotic education” and to push back on the idea that the country is “irredeemably and systemically racist.” The order includes having a two-year “1776 Commission” publish a report on the core principles of the nation, and advise the federal government on how to prioritize founding principles in grants and other activities.

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