A San Francisco Bay Area school district has come under fire for spending $315,000 on an energy and chakra clearer instead of allocating the money towards programs for students. Mountain View Whisman School District hired Alycia Diggs-Chavis, a self-proclaimed “Master Energy Healer & Intuitive Guide”, to conduct 160 guided meditation sessions for district leadership officials. This decision has led to frustration among parents and teachers who were unaware of how the district’s budget was being spent.
Diggs-Chavis, the founder of Blue Violet Energy Healing, was paid over $300,000 over the duration of her three-year contract. She claims to help facilitate spiritual development and awakening and provide self-care and mindfulness tools to her clients. The revelation of this expenditure shocked district parents who had assumed that the school’s budget would go towards programs and resources for their children, not on alternative methods like chakra healing.
When middle school classes were at risk of being cut due to budget constraints, parents took matters into their own hands and investigated the district’s spending. They uncovered the contract for the services of the chakra clearer and also discovered that the district had hired public relations firms, executive coaches, and an in-house public information officer with high salaries. This caused further outrage among parents who felt that the money was not being used appropriately.
Superintendent Ayindé Rudolph defended the use of an executive coach, chakra healer, and public information officer, stating that the decisions were backed by scientific research. He argued that investing in the wellness of employees was important and justified the spending. Former teachers, however, feel disillusioned by the district’s allocation of funds, as they claim they were left to cover various roles like custodianship and substitute teaching due to budget constraints.
The school district plans to address concerns regarding its spending at an upcoming board of trustees meeting. Rudolph has announced that the district will pause or reduce sessions with Chavis-Diggs and Gorman, the executive coach, in response to shifting economic conditions. Nevertheless, the controversy highlights the lack of transparency and accountability in the district’s budgeting decisions, as well as the disparity between how funds are allocated for employee wellness programs versus resources for students and teachers. Parents and teachers are calling for more oversight and proper allocation of funds within the school district.
