As someone who served on the San Diguieto Union High School District (SDUHSD) governing board with Michael Allman for four years and was involved in all of the board workshops related to Ethnic Studies, I would like to offer a rebuttal to his April 15, 2025, Op-Ed (“Ethnic Studies shouldn’t replace 9th grade English”).
The fact that the majority of his article is about him and barely addresses the pros and cons of SDUHSD’s Ethnic Studies curriculum shines a bright light on his governing style, as well as his views on education.
Throughout his article, Mr. Allman repeatedly expresses his frustration over the lack of support his input received from the superintendent, SDUHSD administration, and some of his fellow board members. He seems to forget the most fundamental tenet of governance.
Page nine of SDUHSD’s Governance Handbook (which he approved) clearly states: “No individual board trustee has the authority to make any binding school-related decisions.” The board sets the policy of the district by majority vote; the Superintendent puts that direction into action.
Ironically, Mr. Allman was a part of the process to move forward with Ethnic Studies when he voted to support two of the four units — something he fails to mention in his article. While he, of course, has the right to disagree with and/or deliberate on any matter that comes before the board, he neglects to extend those same rights to others.
His article comes off as a thinly veiled attempt to cast himself as the only reasonable voice in the room.
However, his letter leaves out critical segments of the board’s full deliberations, including staff recommendations. Early in the process of approving Ethnic Studies, the entire board was provided with a very detailed explanation for why integrating Ethnic Studies into the English 9 curriculum was the most viable option.
To be clear, “costs and schedule” (examples he claims that administrators used to push back against his ideas) are realities that all public school districts face. Misrepresenting the process in a published letter undermines the authority of the superintendent, which in turn erodes the functionality of our school district. The time and place to share his opinions were during the four workshops dedicated to Ethnic Studies and the corresponding board meetings. Which he already did.
Not only was Mr. Allman present at all eight sessions, but he was also very vocal about his concerns. During the September board meeting, he actually referred to a lesson on Native American perspectives as “wokeism run amok.”
To me, that stunning use of a political euphemism (versus academic terminology) only reinforced what I have long believed to be true: Mr. Allman is not a person who ever genuinely sought to understand the purpose and value of Ethnic Studies.
He proves that himself when he ignorantly claims that Ethnic Studies is “the history of race in America” and “is detrimental to student’s academic development.” By completely disregarding the fact that the California Department of Education defines Ethnic Studies as “an interdisciplinary field that seeks to empower all students to think critically about the world around them,” Mr. Allman seems to base his arguments on ultra-conservative ideologies rather than the hard work and research of educators.
All of this begs the question of “Why.” Why would Mr. Allman portray himself as the moral authority on Ethnic Studies and the only person inside the boardroom who cares about the education of our students?
Why would he choose to unilaterally reject the recommendations and expertise of his staff in such a public and unorthodox forum, and several months after he voted in favor of Units 2 and 3?
But most of all, why would he re-ignite the topic of Ethnic Studies now, considering the fact that all public school districts, including SDUHSD, are grappling with more pressing matters such as budget cuts, deficit spending and the looming closure of the U.S. Department of Education?
While I am sure many reasons compelled Mr. Allman to write his article, I can’t think of a single one that benefits the SDUHSD students or staff he was elected to serve.
Katrina Young is a substitute teacher and a former SDUHSD trustee representing Area 2.
