Created in 2019, one of the committee’s purposes was to “celebrate” and “affirm” the schools’ diverse communities.
Board member Stephanie Walker, a former chair of the committee, voiced her opposition to the possible vote to eliminate it.
“I think it's very heartbreaking to think we're at this moment right now where politics is dictating what we do. [...] It's not just about students, it's about staff as well, and it is a pillar of our strategic plan. Is that what's next? I don't want that to be next,” Walker said.
After Walker finished, board member Hugh McManus asked Chair Pete Wildeboer if the board eliminated EDI, would they also have to change their strategic plan?
Wildeboer responded, “We would have to.” He also added that neither Brunswick or Pender County Schools have a committee like this one.
In the district's current 2022-2027 plan, the outcome of the district’s efforts to ensure EDI would mean that “by 2027, students and staff report in bi-annual surveys 90% or higher agreement that their school/worksite is an inclusive place where they have a strong sense of belonging and connectedness.”
Malcolm Johnson, the district’s chief equity, diversity, and inclusion officer, asked Mason how they should plan for its upcoming meeting on Monday, December 4. She responded she would run it.
Walker reiterated that Mason’s upcoming motion was a surprise to both her and the committee — and for Mason to introduce the possibility of eliminating it without discussion with the committee members was “rude.”
Earlier discussions of the committee's future
Walker added that at the October agenda review meeting, the board decided to discuss how the committee should move forward, as board members Pat Bradford and Josie Barnhart wanted to refocus the committee around groups like military families, multi-language learners, and students who are homeless.
At the time, both Walker and board member Stephanie Kraybill both responded that these groups had already been included in the discussions around EDI.
During that October agenda review, McManus said “it’s no secret” that the four Republicans who won the 2022 election campaigned on ending EDI work — and that this discussion was heading toward that end. He reiterated this again on Tuesday.
He also brought up in October the fact that EDI was never given a proper budget — and that some of the other board members didn’t take the time to attend these EDI meetings consistently or to attempt to understand what equity really means.
Barnhart responded that she didn't have time to attend every committee meeting outside of the ones she sits on, saying, "we have appointments and assignments for a reason."
Flash forward to this week, McManus said to the other board members, “You’re trying to make it [EDI] a Black-White issue” and that their attempts to misconstrue the term are “hurting the school board.”
McManus said that the New Hanover County Commission’s mission statement, which provides 30% of the district’s budget, states it is “committed to providing equitable opportunities and exceptional public services through good governance to ensure a safe, healthy, secure, and thriving community for all,” calling into question why the district, like the county, wouldn’t be committed to an equitable environment.
Kraybill also brought up other efforts to take certain words or phrases that mention equity out of the board’s policies, like policy 4300, one that concerns student behaviors.
Bradford and Barnhart sent this proposal to the board eliminating the phrase: “to ensure the equitable treatment of all students.”
The board will be voting on those changes on Tuesday.
A key community issue
EDI — also commonly referred to as DEI — has been a key issue for the community over the last two years.
At the board’s August town hall meeting, members opened a survey that asked the community which strategic goal they wanted to discuss with them. The top one to emerge out of 158 responses was equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Moreover, when the board last went through its strategic plan process, they surveyed over 5,000 community members about what the district’s priorities should be. EDI emerged in the top six, with 76% of those surveyed agreeing/strongly agreeing it should be in the strategic plan.
As a part of its plan, the district did a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis for each of its goals. In the ‘threats’ section, it identified future problems with the work such as “not everyone in the community understands the definition.”
On the other hand, the board's more conservative Republicans have repeatedly said that their strong showing in the 2022 election represents a mandate
— including when it comes to scaling back or eliminating EDI. The issue has also brought detractors to speak at the call to the audience segments of board meetings.
The board is slated to discuss the future of this committee for 30 minutes, but McManus said he thinks the recently elected Republicans have the votes.
He said those four members aren’t “going to change,” but it’s his hope that teachers, despite this impending vote, will have control over the atmosphere in their own classrooms, where they would treat their students equitably.
They’re also voting for their next chair and vice-chair.
