To the editor:

Many Lawrencians may not know that USD 497 has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with the Pacific Educational Group (PEG), which is a San Francisco-based business “committed to achieving racial equity in education.”

PEG’s program, “Courageous Conversations,” utilizes Critical Race Theory (CRT) in an effort to narrow the achievement gap between white and minority students. CRT is a form of critical theory, which is associated with the neo-Marxist philosophy of the Frankfurt School. Given this, no one should be surprised that the PEG field guide used by USD 497 attacks individualism/capitalism and promotes collectivism/socialism.

As the father of minority children in USD 497, I believe the district’s goal of narrowing the achievement gap is a laudable one. However, I have several questions for USD 497 administrators. Do they believe it is appropriate to spend taxpayers’ dollars on a Marxist program? Are there any non-Marxist programs that work towards the same goal?

After paying PEG more than $850,000 over three years, the achievement gap between white and black students in St. Paul, Minn., remained unchanged. The achievement gap in math proficiency between white and Hispanic students actually widened. Has “Courageous Conversations” been successful in USD 497, i.e., can administrators point to the narrowing of the achievement gap? If the gap has narrowed, can they demonstrate that “Courageous Conversations” and not some other factor(s) is responsible for that narrowing?