School Board to vote on proposed changes to by-laws.
Next regular MSAD51 School Board is September 2. On the agenda is consideration of revisions to School Board by-laws regarding committee membership. The proposed change is to clarify the procedure for membership appointment to bring “Other Board Committees” in line with language for Standing Committees. Additionally, the Board will vote to change Communications and Equity Leadership Steering Committees (ELSC) from Special/Ad Hoc Committees to “Other Committees”.
Community members have continued to ask MSAD51 leadership about ELSC’s lacking charter, membership selection process, term limits, and overall oversight.
Details regarding initial selection of the 15-member committee are not clear. A survey following the September 2019 equity workshop was used to create a prospective membership list, from which members were appointed. A copy of the survey has not been provided, and who finalized the selection has not been confirmed. Superintendent Porter believes the Board did vote to approve the original list, but is working to verify this.
Up to this point, ELSC has been, according to Porter, an ad hoc steering committee. Ad hoc committees are established to address a specific task. Ad hoc committees have limited focus and temporary duration. Once such a task is completed, they typically are disbanded. If ELSC becomes a permanent committee, equity work would no longer be constrained by the Strategic Plan as the temporary task of developing and implementing an equity plan. At the August 17 ELSC meeting, Ann Maksymowitz conferred that “there is nothing temporary about equity work.” She stated, “The key to any equity work is that it is always ongoing. You are never going to reach a goal, not matter what!” There was agreement among ELSC members that inequity is always going to be a problem. Questions about committee work have prompted community scrutiny. According to MSAD51 Strategic Work Plan, the committee charge is to “[34.]Develop and implement an equity plan, with specific focus on racial equity, that includes an assessment, training and curricular recommendations.”
ELSC was created in October 2019. In 2020, ELSC changed its partnership from Community Change, Inc. to join the USM Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC). Recommendations from the committee have centered on expanding work regarding “systemic racism.” Examples included additions to library materials, curriculum revisions which added anti-racist and inclusive required books, staff development training and student focused intensive trainings.
However, more recent steps indicate the committee is transitioning its work to move beyond racial equity to focus on gender issues. Draft policy ACA reflects this shift. Additionally, statements from committee member Maksymowitz, as well as ELSC co-chairs Tyler McGinley and Nick Whiston, confirm that gender identity issues are a personal priority.
Recent discussions and efforts by ELSC members to introduce and promote curricula, required reading, and BLM Action Week at School along with their 13 guiding principles, appears to be a deviation from the scope which the Board assigned to the ELSC in the Strategic Plan, which clearly states ELSC’s scope is to develop an equity plan with focus on racial equity. Changing ELSC from an ad hoc committee to a permanent committee will allow them to broaden their scope beyond the original task set forth in the strategic plan, which according to Porter was vetted by the public and approved by Board vote.
According to Porter, the proposal on Thursday’s agenda is not to make ELSC a “Standing Committee.” Rather, it is to change the designation to “Other Committee.” This would allow the committee to potentially continue as currently organized. School Board Chair McGinley will have authority to appoint members.
Details regarding committee member qualifications, composition and terms have not been confirmed. MSAD51 uses policy BDE as guideline for “Standing Committee” work. However, the District has not adopted anything stipulating parameters for “Other Committees”. Other districts have adopted Policy BDF, which specifically pertains to “Advisory Committees.” The policy provides for broader membership and gives guidance to encourage representation of diverse populations and/or interests. Whether the District will consider adopting a policy remains to be seen.
Residents who have been critical of ELSC’s operating methods view Thursday’s Board vote as sidestepping due process by ignoring community members’ concerns.