Charge to the equity task force

Jason Shepard reports in this week’s Isthmus that the newly appointed task force on equity will look at “Differences in curriculum opportunities, extracurricular programs and access to meaningful information about a school’s performance . . .”
However, I can’t find a charge to the task force. Can someone post it or provide a link?

6 thoughts on “Charge to the equity task force”

  1. The following is the charge, word for word, from the front page of the materials given to all task force members:
    “Recommend to the Board of Education and Equity Policy that includes:
    -A definition of Equity
    -A statement of the district’s commitment to Equity
    -Possible guidelines for implementing the policy”

  2. That’s pretty open ended. Has the administration told the task force what it can and can’t consider? Could the task force recommend curriculum changes, charter schools, or other options that the boundary task forces were not allowed to consider?

  3. We can consider anything that relates to the Equity Policy. We are not a boundary task force, nor are we a curriculum design team. However, ideas about curriculum as they relate to Equity between and among schools have certainly been raised already. No one from the administration or the Board of Education has told us what we can or cannot consider as part of an Equity Policy.
    There was a statement, at the initial meeting, that we should not get too deeply involved in how the Equity Resource Formula is calculated. However, we have not had a discussion about the relevance of that formula to the Equity Policy. I certainly have my own opinions on this subject, and I will raise them when the discussion steers in that direction.
    We will be having at least 2 public hearings later this spring. How do charter schools relate to equity and a district-wide equity policy?

  4. David,
    Charter schools are only an example of a curriculum change that might be considered in terms of how it could impact equity. I’m not advocating for a charter school, per se. I’m advocating for the committee to look at any and all changes which might treat all students more equitably.
    As another example, West’s English Curriculum Reduction Plan might treat everyone equally, but treats students quite inequitably by denying non-readers a curriculum that would help them learn to read and by denying advanced students the chance to tackle college level material. In this case, equal does not produce equity.
    The MMSD’s report on the failure of Reading Recovery has tremendous implications for equity, as did the Superintendent’s return of $2 million for reading instruction. Could a well-researched and successful reading curricuilum more equitably serve readers? In the later case, the task force could look at whether reapplying for Reading First funds could boost equity.
    I also encourage the task force to look at the forumula. It’s about as transparent as the MMSD budget. You must understand it to see how the MMSD administration distributes money. Some fear that the formula gets tweaked as needed to play favorites among school principals. Those who go along with the administration, so the concern goes, get more funds.

Comments are closed.