California Dept. of Education is urging school districts to spend $5.3B on technology

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Wednesday said that his department has already begun dispersing the $5.3 billion from the governor's office to local school districts, encouraging them to spend the money on technology.

To date, Thurmond said that 700,000 public school students still don't have computers and 300,000 don't have proper hot spots -- situations that could be theoretically remedied with some of that state money. 

The funds can also go toward in-class learning instruction, where some districts that aren't on the state's monitoring list can open as long as they follow the proper protocols. Thurmond said social-emotional learning is crucial for children.  

He also discussed a new ethnic studies curriculum, created in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, where African Americans and Latinos, as two examples will be celebrated and studied.