Committee discusses membership, resources and opportunities, and community events
On July 27 at 4 pm, as heavy haulers noisily moved bright white modular units next to GMS, the Equity Leadership Steering Committee (ELSC) met at the nearby picnic tables under the “shade structure.” The public had been invited to listen but were not permitted to speak. ELSC members included: Superintendent Porter, Co-Chairperson Nick Whiston, Co-Chairperson Tyler McGinley, school board member Ann Maksymowitz, GMS counselor Bobbi Goodwin, 1st Grade teacher Mia Sargent, GMS principal Mar-E Trebilcock, GMS social worker Katie Campbell, and parent representative Ken Lanik. Nine members from the public attended, including school board member Jason Record.
Membership Updates
Currently there are two 10th grade students on the committee, and a new student has expressed interest in joining. Don Gray is assumed to be replacing Chris Hoffman’s position on the committee as the GHS principal. Maksymowitz proposed inviting the president or vice president of the Maine Teacher Association be invited to join the committee. Regarding selecting parent representatives, Whiston has received numerous emails from parents requesting to be on the committee. Likely some form of survey would be used for an “all-call” to solicit new, potential members.
McGinley confirmed she “dug up” the original survey used in 2019, following the Community Change, Inc. (CCI) workshop, to invite interested stakeholders. It included only a couple of questions, though McGinley did not share details as to what original applicants had been asked. Who would draft the questions for the upcoming survey, nor who would decide which applicants were accepted or how many is not confirmed.
Further discussion focused on limiting terms for parent representatives. Whiston supported 2-year terms, but Maksymowitz insisted 3-year terms would be necessary. New parent members' terms would be staggered to maintain continuity.
McGinley and Whiston have declined to respond to previous NYFV questions regarding ELSC formation and member selection.
Resources and Opportunities
The Maine Schools Management Association (MSMA) and their Cultural Competence Institute 2.0 provide support to its membership with training and programing related to the interests of the state's public schools. McGinley shared that the MSMA Cultural Competence Institute 2.0 hosts classes at a cost of $500 per participant for all Maine educators. The interactive year-long program covers:
Developing a deep understanding of creating a culture of inclusion,
Developing brave spaces for conversations about race in our schools,
Creating a cultural connection for students and parents,
Guiding policy development in school districts,
Recruiting, hiring, and retaining faculty of color.
Monthly workshops offered from Sept. 20, 2021 – May 9, 2022 conflict with MSAD51 school board meetings. Additional workshops geared for schools will be provided on “in-service days.” More information on MSMA cultural Competence Institute 2.0 is available at https://www.msmaweb.com/events/#8096276 or by calling 1-800-660-8484.
The partnership with regional districts and the USM Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) continues. Information sharing conducted during a recent feedback session was “most valuable,” according to Porter and McGinley. Materials covered work being done by other districts around their equity plans and policies. However, some districts criticized MAEC as “not available.” Whiston noted that recent sessions had been “really good, more productive, and more intimate.”
Community Event Discussion
Outreach proposals covered a wide range of topics including community involvement, the Beautiful Blackbird Festival, advisor and student training, electronic forms of communicating with the greater community, and Black Lives Matter at School Week and their 13 Guiding Principles.
The district will host round table discussions sometime in late fall or early winter to involve parents and students in the dialogue. Format will likely resemble the process used for the strategic plan, which Porter stated was not designed to change the strategic plan but build upon the original, as questions centered on gathering feedback, such as: “What went well?” “What didn’t go well?” “What is the priority for this second round?” “What do we continue?” “What do we discontinue?” “What new things do we incorporate?” Dates and timing of any community dialogue sessions is yet to be confirmed.
Lanik emphasized soliciting community involvement in moving forward with the draft equity policy. He proposed ELSC adopt procedures that align with the model used by the Gorham schools. He asked about using the ELSC webpage to keep the community involved and if there was a way to find community members to facilitate website oversight and more frequent updates. Whiston responded that typically the webpage was updated once per month in accordance with school board meetings. Additionally, Porter’s blog could be used to inform the public of equity work. McGinley reminded the committee that the District would be launching a new website this summer.
Other upcoming events include Beautiful Blackbird Festival by Indigo Arts, a festival dedicated to representing blacks in children’s literature. Whiston's Telling Room will also be hosting a related workshop for kids.
As in previous meetings, Maksymowitz proposed Black Lives Matter at School Week, as well as the importance of preparing ahead of time, rather than waiting until Black History Month (February) to plan. In response to public concerns about the BLM organization, she emphasized focus should, instead, be on the 13 Guiding Principles: 1. Restorative Justice; 2. Empathy; 3. Loving Engagement; 4. Diversity; 5. Globalism; 6. Queer Affirming; 7. Trans Affirming; 8. Collective Value; 9. Intergenerational; 10. Black Families; 11. Black Villages; 12. Unapologetically Black; and 13. Black Women. Explanation of these principals is no longer outlined on the official Black Lives Matter website but can be found on "BLM at school" focused websites.
Campbell affirmed the past work of the Civil Rights Teams within the District as a “lovely avenue and a gentle approach within the schools.” Advisor and student training is scheduled for end of October to provide a collaborative way for the civil rights teams to inform the school of their work and goals.
Porter restated the importance of “the need to communicate about the communication.” Information sharing about how ELSC would be communicating could be done at each school board meeting and on the District website. He continued that equity is a priority. The District must maintain focus on the equity policy, public participation through the policy development process, continued relations with the USM partnership, a charter and new membership for the ELSC, and community events.
Referring to the “equity piece,” Lantik noted the ELSC must look at their targets and goals and map out their meetings to move toward those goals. He went on to say that any equity plan needs to be in relation to the strategic plan, which set parameters as to what ELSC does and what ELSC does with USM. He asked, “What are the things we need to target and identify and assess how we are moving toward those goals? What do we do to involve students, faculty, and administration?”
Responding to Lanik, Porter stated, “Equity and inclusion were added, later, under 21st Century Skills of the strategic plan.” He also referred to the strategic plans wording: 1) “Global view is a necessity” 2) “Begin an Equity Committee with external guidance to develop and implement an equity plan with the focus on racial equity and curriculum recommendations.” Porter suggested the ELSC revisit these priorities, because the wording of the strategic plan involved public input and received board approval. Porter also stated the District must have a policy to make the plan, but the two efforts could be done simultaneous. While the policy is being finalized, efforts on the equity plan could be concurrent.
McGinley and Whiston declined to answer previous NYFV questions about the ELSC charter, goals and milestones and progress towards achieving its targets.
Meeting adjourned just after 5 pm, though both McGinley and Whiston lingered afterwards to field questions. The next meeting is scheduled for August 17 at 4 pm, same location, but likely without the noisy construction work!
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