easy prep. easy cook. easy clean. reynolds wrap. damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i am damian trujillo, and today startling new figures on the easy prep. easy cook. easy clean. state's funding of east side schools on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪

cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com damian: and we begin today with san jose state university's latino alumni network. with me on "comunidad del valle," are leo cortez and patricia portugal on the show. welcome back to the show, folks. patricia portugal: thanks so much for having us. leo cortez: thank you damian. damian: leo you were instrumental in forming this network. tell us about the lan, the latino alumni network. leo: so actually, i mean, definitely we started this back in 2011. this is an organization that it was thought about during the chicano commencement back in 2011. and we decided to start that having a network where we can come together and celebrate our community, but also put together work that can help us raise funds to put on scholarships for students attending san jose state university, students are coming in from the high school or are transferring from a community college. so this is an organization that actually focused on raising funds to do that, as well as creating opportunities for us to network as professionals once we've graduated from the university, and preparing ourselves for

what's ahead you know, in our careers. damian: and you know, patricia, a lot of us graduate and we go out our separate ways and we don't see a lot of each other again. talk about the--leo mentioned networking. talk about the importance of that and maybe meeting those who graduated before you and after you. patricia: absolutely, so i think similar to leo, i've been in contact and touch maintained contact actually, i met my husband at san jose state. so we've been married for quite a while and like our story, there's many stories like that. so it's really important to keep those connections of your university for professional networking, social networking. leo and i are actually friends outside of the organization so we also know each other's families and everything. so it's really important to continue the community and your culture. pass it on to your kids as well as you get older. damian: and absolutely, and you know the power of networking

leo, how does that empower us as latino graduates, as latino community? leo: well, i think one of the things that's fundamental is when we are going to school especially first generation students. as you and i are damian and a lot of members of our community, we don't really know how to create that network that's gonna help us professionally. so building that network is really important for us and you know, it helps us you know, prepare ourselves for what's ahead. if we're dealing with something whether it's you know, sometimes like when you first graduate from college and you get your job, you don't even know how to pick your benefits. like what insurance do you get? like should you contribute to your 401(k)? and those are things that we talk about in our network. we wanna make sure that people are having the education and the experience and information that they need to make this critical decisions that are gonna impact them later on in their lives. so those sort of things that we focus on within our network. the other thing is we focus very heavily on making sure that as students are coming into the university, we're preparing them for what's gonna be outside. so they don't struggle as much as we did when we were

graduating and trying to figure out like what we should be doing. we didn't have those role models in front of us telling us you know, this is the path that you should follow, this is the thing that you should do. damian: yeah, that's a good point. on the--again, talking on networking patricia, i mean, when you have in your association within your network, cpas, lawyers, public officials, you run the gamut that you're gonna be well connected in the community. patricia: exactly, and our organization is multi-generational. that's one of the things i really love about it and why i've been so active for so many years, right? so like some of us, we've been in industries for a couple of decades. there's members that are coming right out of college, new college grads, and some of our board members are actually not too recent grads as well. so that's the beauty of it. it's really replicating and mirroring our community because in our community we are also multi-generational and pass

along the torch and sharing experiences like leo said. so the next generation doesn't struggle as much. damian: that's wonderful. you have an event coming up leo? leo: yes, actually we do. and thanks for that. we have an event on april 4, that is a legacy dinner event. this is the event where we bring all of our community to come together. we look for sponsors to sponsor the tables and a lot of the funds that come from that, if not the majority of the funds, go directly to our scholarship fund. and one thing to note is that this is the first year that we actually endowed our scholarship. so we're the first organization at san jose state university that has endowed a scholarship. and it's really important for us and this event is actually gonna help us increase that endowment so that we don't have to do fundraisers every single year to give out scholarships. the endowment is gonna help us grow. and this event that we have on april 4 at san jose state university is gonna help us you know, kind of bring back that--because we've been, frankly, due to the pandemic, we weren't able to have the event live. the last event that we had live was in 2019.

so this is almost like our coming back to having a live event. and we're gonna be doing that san jose state university, which is essentially a place that we all care much deeply about. damian: well, this is awesome. it's their legacy dinner, it's happening at the student union ballroom at san jose state university. we're gonna flash the information on your screen if you're interested in attending or in sponsoring, because as leo said, this is only going to help the younger generations succeed in college and beyond. there's a website for more information. we'll be back with the latino alumni network when we continue. stay with us. (vo) if you overdraw your account, wells fargo gives you an extra day grace period to avoid the overdraft fee. what if everything came with a grace period? like accidentally parking where you shouldn't... (driver 2) nah.. that one gets an extra day (vo) like having an extra day grace period? you can with wells fargo.

(vo) at wells fargo, direct deposits come up to two days early with early pay day. what if everything came two days early? (hero) have a good weekend! (co-worker) but it's wednesday... (hero) it's the weekend baby. (vo) want to get paid up to two days early? you can with wells fargo. damian: we're back here on "comunidad del valle" with patricia portugal and leo cortez of the latino alumni network, and you wrapped up the last segment, leo talking about the next generation and the scholarships. in essence that's why we're all here, right? why you're here, why i'm here, why patricia is here. it's not about us, it's about those who we're bringing up behind us. leo: absolutely, and if you think about like, when we were in school, there wasn't really a lot of support

that we had that people who could tell us about what path to follow. so what we're doing is we're trying to create that for that next generation and make sure that we're providing them the funds so they don't have to work and study at the same time. you know, when i was in school, i had to have a full-time job and also go to school full-time. we wanna make sure that the next generation doesn't struggle with that. so that's why we wanna make sure that we increase our scholarships and we have as many scholarships as possible so we can actually provide those students with a focus that they need to actually you know, graduate from college in four years instead of five or six. damian: and patricia, leo mentioned the endowment. talk about the power of that endowment. is basically your money making more money? patricia: yeah, now absolutely, the endowment was crucial. it's been a goal for many years. we're very proud to have reached it. we'll still of course, keep fundraising, like for the legacy dinner, but the endowment is just a huge, a huge accomplishment where you're right now that money is going to be increasing, right, on our own.

and so we know, we are assured that once leo and i leave the organization at some point in time, this endowment will continue. so the legacy will continue. and so many applicants are just so deserving of the scholarships that we are giving and so it's just really rewarding. they're very inspirational to read all the applications, and the students are just amazing. damian: and that's the tribute to your great work. and leo, that's a powerful image behind patricia there. the united farm workers symbol, the cesar chavez monument with the farm worker. you picked strawberries like i did, you were a pipero like i was, we kind of walk around with a chip on our shoulder, right, because we're behind the eight ball as a get-go and so it's now to see if the other chavaltos have a [speaking in foreign language] and help them out and guide them in that direction. leo: absolutely, and you know, when we were working in the fields and going to high school, people weren't necessarily bringing that idea of college to us as a possible opportunity after we graduated

from high school. so, it is now up to us to make sure that the next generation, it doesn't struggle as much as we did so that they can have more opportunities, they can have more options once they graduated from high school and from college so they can have better paying jobs, and that just helps increase the net worth of our community. it also increases the economic power of our community which then translates into more political power within our community 'cause at the end of the day you know, in order for you to get ahead, you have to have money and education. and if you can have those two things you know, ready to go when you graduate from college, then that makes it a little bit better for you to be more successful in your career. and that's what we're trying to do is preparing those young chavalitos to make sure that they are getting ahead. damian: absolutely, patricia i'll let you have the floor. tell us what you wanna tell us about the latino alumni network. patricia: the latino alumni network, damian is a really special organization. as i mentioned, we are multi-generational. we are focused on the professional and personal

development of our community members both in the san jose state realm students, right, who just graduated and then also alumni as well, right? so those members that have children, have families, right, they're ready for their next career move. they wanna continue socializing and networking for their career advancement and also, we have a lot of fun parties. [laughing] damian: absolutely, i've seen the pictures. leo, any final thoughts before we let you go? leo: yeah, i mean, thank you damian, for hosting us here today. patricia and i have worked really hard for the last couple years to make sure that we have this platform and also that we have the endowment. the endowment was a big piece as she mentioned and that's really what we wanna make sure that you know, people in the community you know, hear from us and leave this message with them is that you know, we're here to ensure that we are providing funds to your children so that they have an easier time when they go to college and to those corporations out there and to those folks with big purses, this is an opportunity for you

to give back to your community by ensuring that that money gets put into the endowment and scholarships to help our community grow. damian: well, thank you for what you're doing with the latino alumni network and the students there across the campus. thank you. leo: thank you. damian: again, and one way to support is through this legacy dinner that they're having over at the student union ballroom b at san jose state university, april 4 at 5 o'clock. it's a legacy dinner with the san jose state latino alumni network. up next here on "comunidad del valle," why zip codes matter when it comes to school funding with the state. stay with us.

valley, they're getting the grade of a d that's a d, almost an f that's according to research by the hispanic foundation of silicon valley. well, now some powerhouse agencies are coming together to do something about it. dr. lisa andrew is the president and ceo of the silicon valley education foundation to talk about something called the east

side education initiative. dr. andrew, welcome to the show. dr. lisa andrew: oh, thank you. so happy to be here. damian: thank you for being here. such an important topic. i wish we had the entire show to talk about it, but you know, when ron gonzalez mentioned the letter grades at the unveiling back in june, he said that if he had this report card, he wouldn't hide it from his parents because it was that bad. it's ugly, a d is ugly. dr. andrew: very much so, unacceptable. i mean, there is no reason why in this valley, in this city, our education shift system should be getting any kind of letter grade like that, no reason. damian: so at the end of these sessions and we have breakout sessions during that day and i think a lot of people think, well, now what? and you know, nothing much is gonna happen out of it but you're making sure you and other folks are making sure that something is done about it, tell us about that. dr. andrew: yes for sure. so, a few years ago we developed a collective impact with

a couple of other nonprofits called the east side education initiative. the silicon valley education foundation came together with the hispanic foundation of silicon valley and leaf, another nonprofit organization in the santa clara county office of ed. and we all got together and decided how can we lift the latino community here in san jose? what is that going to take so that we have long lasting sustainable economic mobility for the students in east san jose? so we got together and the research is there on what needs to be done and put together an initiative and then sought funding and we were able to launch at the beginning of last year in january of 2023. this initiative is actually two-prong. the first prong is the short term funding for supplemental

services that the school districts in east san jose cannot afford. the much more important prong is the long term funding solution that the state of california must address so that the students in east san jose can thrive, that they can become the workforce of silicon valley, and that we can secure an economically mobile future for them. damian: because right now, we're not guaranteeing that, right? right now by what we're offering our children, we're guaranteeing that we're going to need to import the brain power and the people power to do what needs to be done in silicon valley. dr. andrew: absolutely, absolutely. so here's what happens damian, the students in east san jose, get a per pupil funding per year from the state. so a student say in the mount pleasant school district, because of their zip code, they would get about $11,000 per year per student. there are other students in other zip codes of santa clara

county where their district gets $24,000 per year for them. so the students don't even start out with an equal playing field. then you add on top of it. yes, the state and the federal government gives us money for english language development, they give us money so that students who are living in poverty or below the poverty level have extra services, but that doesn't even catch them up to what other school districts are getting per pupil per year. so this perpetuates, perpetuates, and perpetuates. while money can't solve everything, we do know that money buys resources, money buys things, it buys people, it buys access. and currently the students of east san jose are not getting the money that they deserve as other students in santa clara county are getting so that they can have access and opportunity

to the kind of future that we want for students in california. damian: we wanna play a trailer in our next segment. you have a 20 minute document, a 24 minute documentary. we're gonna play one minute of the trailer in our next segment. but what you just said, you can see why it's easy for people's blood to boil. dr. andrew: yes, yes. as it should, as it should. i know that most people walking around here in santa clara county are not aware of this and we are definitely not advocating that money be taken from these higher funded districts, absolutely not. what these higher funded districts have been able to build and to provide for their students, we just want that in every school in santa clara county. this needs to be a priority of our state, so that no matter what zip code, no matter what school you go to, you as a student are going to have access and opportunity to the same sort of future, the same sort of college experience,

the same sort of career experience again, so that the students of silicon valley can become the workforce of silicon valley. damian: well, you're doing some fantastic work there and you made an important point there. i wanna get into that in the next segment. but folks who might be interested, this is called the east side education initiative. it's been around for about a year now. this is put on by the silicon valley education foundation, hispanic foundation of silicon valley and also leaf. there is a website for the silicon valley education foundation, east side education initiative. we'll be back here on "comunidad del valle" and talk more about the inequities when it comes to zip codes. please stay with us.

with dr. lisa andrew, the president and ceo of the education foundation of silicon valley, silicon valley education foundation. talking about the east side education initiative. now you mentioned the inequities when it comes to zip codes, you have a one minute trailer video, let's play that right now. male: when i heard that my son's school gets less than half

of what a school district 7 miles away gets, it pissed me the [bleep] off. ♪♪♪ dr. andrew: today's zip codes and home addresses determine the funding allocated to public school districts. this directly impacts the amount and quality of educational resources and facilities made available to different students in different neighborhoods. the effect on their lives is profound. the disparity is real. leveling the playing field is hard, but we can make a change together. the road to a solution starts here and now. ♪♪♪

damian: and i like that title, "zip code code red." now, in a longer segment, state senator dave cortesi mentioned that equity does not equal equality when it comes to these zip codes. can you kind of explain that for us? dr. andrew: right, i think these are two words that frequently get used together, two words that frequently get confusing. so i think when we think about equal access, that means that we are providing something to everyone. everyone has the same amount, the same choice, the same entrance. and then when you talk about being equitable, that's ensuring that everyone has what they need in order to access an opportunity. you may need support in something that's different than i may need support in, but we all need to start out with the same base and then think about what we each need as individuals

especially when it comes to students, so that we all can have access and opportunity to the same sort of jobs, the housing, the things of that nature. so again, i think what senator cortesi says so well in the documentary, is that there's--we can't even begin to talk about giving equitable access if we don't even start with equal. damian: that's a very good and fascinating point. and you know, we didn't get to the letter d grade overnight, so it's gonna take a while for the initiative to take hold and to take root and to make some positive changes. dr. andrew: right, so here's the thing but we need to do something. we need to start. i think people look at something like that and they think this is overwhelming. folks say to me all the time, "oh my gosh, you're working through the legislature, you're working with elected officials. this is such a slow process, yes,

and we need to move and we need to go. we can't be discouraged. maybe because i'm a teacher at heart and i'm used to seeing the developmental continuum of entering in as a preschooler and then exiting in as a high school senior, i understand that things take time, i understand that things progress, but what our call to action is, let's get on this journey all of us, and let's do the things that need to be done so that we can have a sustainable future for all of our students. damian: well, let's have you back in six months if you don't mind dr. andrew, and kind of give us a progress report because i would imagine, as i mentioned, a lot of people's blood is boiling at this point. i've asked a lot of questions. give us your sales feature or what you want our viewers to know. dr. andrew: yes, so what i would want our viewers to know is please, this is about awareness, go to our website at svefoundation.org, view the documentary, i support this button.

please get in contact with us and come alongside of us, lend us your story, lend us your time. we need to make people aware so that they can advocate for the kind of future that they want for themselves and for our students. it's going to take all of us ensuring that our elected officials have our support in making this change. this is going to be a long haul but a needed haul. and we need people on both. we need--in the documentary i felt so fortunate that we had a district shown that does, that is community funded, that does get more money than the base for its students and what they're able to build. this is a all of us situation to raise everyone's access. and so i would just encourage folks to contact us, get involved, attend one of our town halls, lend us your story, and together attend the bus tour up to the state capitol.

this is happening, it's going to happen, and it'll take all of us doing our part. damian: it's all hands on deck, gloves off, it's time to fight for what is right for you. well, dr. andrew, thank you so much for what you're doing. again, i wish we had an entire show to expand and talk about this, but let's have you back in six months if you don't mind and kinda give us a progress report. dr. andrew: appreciate that, i will look forward to doing that. thank you, damian. damian: thank you so much, dr. lisa andrew, the president and ceo of the silicon valley education foundation. again, this is called the east side education initiative. it's by the three agencies: silicon valley education foundation, hispanic foundation of silicon valley, and leaf. well, if you wanna get ahold of us here on "comunidad del valle," please you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. we thank you for sharing a part of your sunday with us. once again, we'll see you back here again next week. ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [singing in foreign language] [singing in foreign language] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ (vo) if you overdraw your account, wells fargo gives you an extra day grace period to avoid the overdraft fee. what if everything came with a grace period? like accidentally parking where you shouldn't... (driver 2) nah.. that one gets an extra day (vo) like having an extra day grace period? you can with wells fargo.

(vo) at wells fargo, direct deposits come up to two days early with early pay day. what if everything came two days early? (hero) have a good weekend! (co-worker) but it's wednesday... (hero) it's the weekend baby. (vo) want to get paid up to two days early? you can with wells fargo. right now on access hollywood, what's ryan gosling got to say about margot and greta's barbie oscar snubs? zuri: get ready for the swans, a.k.a. the original housewives. scott: and alicia keys, the access exclusive-- her family life beyond the fame, and our surprise she didn't see coming. zuri: plus, barry keoghan on that wild saltburn scene that's now a tiktok sensation. scott: which scene? romance rumors, no longer.