Social Justice Committee
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wsesu.org
NOTICE OF MEETING
The Windham Southeast School District Social Justice Committee at 1:00 p.m. on
Friday, February 17 at Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Central Office, 53
Green Street, Brattleboro.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81426148951?pwd=UnFzSXVaRzhQdnBoWDJEeGlxNmFsdz09
Meeting ID: 814 2614 8951
Passcode: Gv4590 One tap mobile
+19292056099,,81426148951#,,,,*296594# US (New York)
+13017158592,,81426148951#,,,,*296594# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
+1 564 217 2000 US
Meeting ID: 814 2614 8951
Passcode: 296594
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kczauXgr2m
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 1:00 p.m. – Deborah Stanford
II. Approval of Minutes – February 3, 2022
III. Mission Statement:
WSESD Social Justice Committee (note: previously the Board’s Diversity and Equity Committee) – Mission: Foster learning environments in which all members of the school community are safe, feel valued and are appreciated, as well as promote policies and procedures that value equity and diversity in our schools.
We will meet without a formal, developed agenda in order to begin the process of discourse. Our goal is to explore ways that the Social Justice Committee can support District-wide concerns and goals. At this initial meeting we will create an agenda that is sensitive to the needs of students, parents and guardians, staff and teachers, administrators, community members, and the Board itself.
We will also examine the Board’s calendar with the goal to vary when we meet in order to include as many voices as possible.
If you are unable to attend this initial meeting (there is a zoom link), please share your thoughts and suggestions via email.
Windham Southeast School District
Social Justice Committee
Feb. 3, 2022
Attendees: Shaun Murphy, David Schoales, Thomas Nolan (Chair), Tim Maciel (notetaker)
Guests: Chris Overtree, Mike Szostak, Kerry Amidon, Amit Sharma, Liz Adams, Mikaela Simms, Deborah Stanford
Meeting called to order at 4:32 p.m.
Minutes of the Nov meeting approved.
Agenda Item: “Strategies for Making Partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Means of Job/Career Placement”
• With so many open positions in the District, now is the time to focus on diversity hiring.
• Superintendent’s office is responsible for recruitment, but Board approves all appointments. Board is committed to securing best personnel possible and to diversifying the workforce as a priority. Board approves all job descriptions and specifications of qualifications required for a position (See Policies D1 and D3).
• Evaluation of superintendent and administrators should include as a priority efforts and success in hiring diverse workforce.
• Reliance solely on SchoolSpring is not sufficient. Perhaps go back to “old fashioned” approach of asking for CV and cover letter.
• Application form should include 3 questions: (1) Explain your experience(s) working with historically marginalized groups. What have you learned from this (these) experiences? Include times when you have made mistakes. (2)Describe your framework for equity and social justice in the classroom (or workplace) and its origin, (3) Where did you hear about this job posting?
• Must make much stronger use of personal contacts and relationships.
• If initial pool of applicants for a position lacks diverse candidates, search should be restarted. Cannot continue to fall back on excuse that there is no time for further effort.
• Should keep track of diverse candidates not qualified for one position but who may be qualified for a later opening.
• Should run a WSESD/U Job Fair of our own, perhaps at UMass/Amherst but also targeting other colleges in 5 College area.
Action: Chris Overtree will look into possibilities at UMass.
• Should keep job requirements broad enough to attract deeper pool. Avoid set criteria.
Avoid “checking off the box” process of culling out aps. Must cast a wider net across NE and nationwide.
• One major hurdle to hiring: starting salaries lower than in other districts/states. Therefore, must showcase lower cost of living in VT.
• Must offer compensation for moving expenses and look into some relief of college loans.
• Even if we were successful in attracting qualified, diverse workforce, they would not stay for long unless the environment is welcoming, supportive and safe. Need ongoing support system for current and incoming BIPOC staff
• Brief discussion of the Colonels mascot and its history.
• Action: Amit Sharma will send useful links to David
Agenda Item: Establishing a school district-wide curriculum around social justice
• Very much the Board’s responsibility to develop coordinated district-wide curriculum together with Superintendent and Administration (see Policy G1).
• PBIS is working in lower grade levels, but dissipates in middle- and high school levels.
• Must continue with Teaching For Justice and work to incorporate not only in humanities, but across the curriculum. (Ex. Math teacher who changes attitudes towards math and focuses on affective factors). TFJ must be coordinated at BUHS as well. All adults having contact with our learners need to be included.
• Study groups very important to teach students (children and adults) how to work together, while being vulnerable in revealing their own biases in an emotionally safe and nurturing environment.
• Restorative Justice. This year already 124 referrals (twice as many as normal), but RJ also requires a transformative environment to be effective.
• Problem with suspensions is that when students return, the biases that caused the problems remain because the biases themselves have not been addressed. Also, the suspended students fall further behind academically and socially, increasing the demands on teachers and increasing the likelihood of these frustrated students to act out.
• PBIS is a positive framework, a structure that is built on values, e.g. respect and social justice. However, PBIS requires the existence of a community-oriented environment which must be established for PBIS to be effective.
• Goal of PBIS is to have staff and students embrace common values and standards cemented by using PBIS process.
• Not everything should fall on the shoulders of the Diversity and Equity Coordinator, Mikaela Simms.
• District should look into establishing a statewide coalition of diversity and equity coordinators.
