Letter To The Editor Roundup: Burlington School Diversity Role

BURLINGTON, MA — A warrant article that would fund a new director of diversity, equity and inclusion position at Burlington Public School has prompted passionate interest from some residents and organizations. Patch has received a number of letters to the editor on this issue, collected below.

>>Town Meeting Article Would Fund BPS Diversity and Equity Director

Previously published letters:

• Letter To The Editor: Equity, Diversity And Inclusion Director
• Letter To The Editor: BEA Supports School Diversity Role

Letter to the editor from the Burlington Interfaith Clergy group:

To the Editor:

In July, Burlington Against Racism (BAR) joined the public appeal to create of a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position for the Burlington Public School district. This proposal finds verbal support including the Burlington Educator’s Association, the district’s Superintendent, and the student representative to the School Committee. However, the current economic recession raises budgetary concerns that may halt its creation. To fund the position, several Town Meeting Members are asking for support from the Town of Burlington. The request would allocate a maximum of $81,000 to enable our Burlington Public Schools to prioritize staffing this position prior to the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year. The funding request to support this position is being voted on as a financial article at the September 30th Town Meeting.

As a member of the Burlington Interfaith Clergy group, I support the use of these funds to create a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position. This addition to the staff would be invaluable to the students in our district. It will affirm the dignity of all persons, and help students learn to embrace difference. These are necessary tools for a healthy, free, and diverse society.

This year has seen an increase in discussions of systemic racism in our country. The challenges are great. Our response to those challenges will affect our entire community because racism is a violation of the dignity of us all. Unfortunately, while dignity is immutable, it can be disregarded. It is heartbreaking to hear the accounts of racism endured by students. Each of us is responsible for preserving this notion of dignity so every individual may pursue a flourishing life.

Moving toward greater equity in our schools will require a devoted expert capable of establishing equitable and inclusive practices. I am encouraged that there is support for adding this new position to the 2022 budget. I am also encouraged to hear of the efforts being led by the district equity team. These initiatives strengthen my appreciation for the Burlington community. If the creation of this position will further help our students, we should not delay funding the position. Let’s get this funded and move confidently forward.

Respectfully,
Minister Chais DiMaggio
Rabbi Susan Abramson
The Reverend Daniel Bell, Priest-in-Charge, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Burlington
Rev. Trina Portillo, Presbyterian Church in Burlington

Letter from School Committee Member Martha Simon

A History of Burlington Public Schools Equity Efforts

Since at least 2013, the Burlington Public Schools and its staff have taken a variety of actions to respond to the need for more cultural proficiency among both students and staff. Since that time, various committees, staff, and students have repeatedly requested the addition of a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

In 2013, the Burlington Public Schools began offering anti-bias, cultural proficiency and understanding systemic racism workshops to all staff members through organizations such as IDEAS and Primary Source. BHS students have participated in the annual IDEAS High School Student Leadership Conference since then.

As early as 2015, staff and administration met in the District Capacity Project to discuss equity issues, with a Cultural Competence sub-committee that focused on issues that students of color were coping with in the schools.

In 2015, the School Committee adopted the following Core Value: The Burlington Public School district is committed to creating a learning environment that values human differences, fosters a sense of belonging, and promotes cultural proficiency among all students and staff.

In 2016, some Burlington High School staff formed the VIEW Committee. Student members joined in 2017. They had 14 initiatives, including a request for a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, anti-bias training for all staff, a focus on cultural proficiency in teacher evaluations (this has been implemented), development and implementation of an incident response protocol with training for staff on how to use it, and school climate surveys to collect data on the social environment at BHS.

When the District Capacity Project ended in 2018, the Cultural Competence sub-committee recommended mandatory teacher training in the areas of implicit bias, systemic racism, and having difficult conversations. They also requested the creation of a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position to ensure that these goals were reached.

In May of 2018, high school and middle school students who participated in IDEAS training made a presentation to the School Committee. They requested the following:

• Hire a full-time Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Training for all teachers in implicit bias, systemic racism, and cultural proficiency
• Training for all administrators in the above
• Training for all students in the above
• Hire more teachers of color
• Creation of a District Equity Committee

The District Equity Committee was formed in 2018 after this request from our MSMS and BHS students. It was a logical outcome of the work done by the BHS VIEW committee and the Cultural Competence sub-committee. Membership included the superintendent, the assistant superintendent, all principals, and staff from each building. In September of 2019, students joined the committee. In June of 2020, parents, community members, and School Committee members joined the committee.

The District Equity Committee developed a Draft Action Plan in June of 2020, which includes as a priority the hiring of a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to ensure implementation of the following four goals:

• Staff: a) providing intentional support to staff of color and b) training all staff in cultural competence;
• Students: a) providing intentional support to students of color, b) creating a crisis response plan, c) training all students in cultural competence;
• Systems and Structures: a) to actively review our current systems and structures through an equity lens and change discriminatory practices; to do outreach for meaningful community and family engagement and support; b) Curriculum: to understand where the biases in our curriculum currently are, and supplement or replace material with culturally responsive materials and teaching practices;
• Hiring: use our hiring process to attract and hire culturally proficient educators and educators of color. The District Equity Committee has developed a suggested job description for a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position.

As of 2020, about 300 teachers, administrators, and other staff have taken one or more workshops or courses. In the summer of 2020, administrative leaders from all district schools and programs completed a course entitled “Becoming a Culturally Proficient School District.” Professional development for teachers before the start of this school year included professional development on the issues of cultural proficiency and school equity.

In July of 2020, the School Committee passed an Anti-Racism Resolution resolving that Burlington Public Schools must ensure that racist practices are eradicated, and diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded and practiced for our students, families, faculty and staff. There continues to be on-going work in the District, at different schools, to review through an equity lens the curriculum and library and classroom books. Many teachers are hard at work making our district more inclusive and equitable.

Compiled by Martha Simon, Burlington School Committee member

These letters were produced by Burlington residents. The views expressed are the authors' own.