(The Center Square) \u2013 California\u2019s Merced City School District has spent $913,423 on consultants for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to documents provided by Defending Education.<\/p>\n
The contracts, provided by the nonprofit Defending Education<\/a>, includes an \u201cAfrican American Affinity Group\u201d for 100 African American students and a summer \u201cRap Camp.\u201d The cost to facilitate those programs is estimated at $270,000.<\/p>\n In one of its signature programs, titled \u201cMoor than a Month,\u201d song lyrics modeled after those of hip-hop group Migos reference what the program describes as \u201cwhite male skew\u201d in history education.<\/p>\n \u201cThis tracks for you every teacher and parent you need this truth our history books have a white male skew but believe me I ain\u2019t blaming you,\u201d the song lyrics say.<\/p>\n The district serves about 11,400 students and has a student-teacher ratio of 25-to-1. According to data from the website Niche<\/a>, about 20% of students are proficient in math and 33% in reading, giving the district an overall grade of C.<\/p>\n The school board previewed a 2026 contract proposal from School Yard Rap on Dec. 9, 2025, and approved it at a Jan. 13, 2026, meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cAny discretionary money should be focused on targeted interventions and remediation for the huge percentage of students who remained below grade level in reading and math,\u201d Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications for Defending Education, told The Center Square. \u201cSpending nearly a million dollars on programs based around identity and activism is indefensible and, in the case of their affinity groups, also illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n