4-18-2023 12:03am

Questions on DEI Answered by Candidates for Westwood School Committee, Select Board, and Library Trustees

Darlene Cancell Editor

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

Thanks to Inclusive Westwood for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.

Inclusive Westwood recently asked the eight candidates running in contested races in Westwood's Annual Town Election to answer two questions on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The organization has shared with Westwood Minute the responses from the candidates for Westwood's School Committee, Select Board, and Library Trustees which can be viewed by clicking here or by clicking the attachment to this article, below.

Given space limitations along with the the fact that DEI was a hot button issue in last year's School Committee election, Westwood Minute has chosen to highlight the responses of the three candidates who are competing for two open seats on School Committee this year. The responses of Tom Themistocles, Amanda Phillips, and JoAnna French are reproduced in full in this article, below. Westwood Minute takes no position on the candidates, and the manner or order of presentation should not be interpreted as an endorsement of one candidate over another.

For a comprehensive review of all candidates' responses, readers should review Inclusive Westwood's compilation.

QUESTION 1: If you are elected, how will principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) be relevant to the work you will be doing? Please include specific DEI initiatives/efforts that you would or would not support in your answer. (For School Committee candidates, please include your point of view on the recent WPS equity audit findings and recommendations in your comments. For Library Trustee candidates, please include your point of view on censorship.)

School Committee Candidate Responses to Question 1

JoAnna French:

Thank you, Inclusive Westwood, for the opportunity to answer these important questions.

Last year, we used grant money to fund the WPS Equity Audit. Its purpose was to identify our strengths and weaknesses, and clarify what action we must take so we can meet the needs of more families in our community. From that important work, came 5 clear and immediate recommendations:

Create an Equity Communication Plan so we’re all on the same page and using the same language.
Ensure we’re all working from the same framework for all decisions.
Create a plan to measure our progress and track our data.
Hire a Director of Human Resources, with a focus on hiring and retaining top talent and diversifying our faculty and administration.
Ensure equity and culturally-responsive practices are a part of professional development opportunities in the district.

If elected, I will prioritize and approve the budget to hire a director of human resources to serve as a key part of the district leadership team. Our Westwood community has grown more diverse in the last 20 years and students of color now make up nearly 25% of our population. However, the diversity among our faculty has stayed roughly the same at 95% white.

Research shows that all students benefit from the opportunity to learn from a more diverse faculty. Let’s create a plan to diversify our educators, and ensure they are prepared to deliver a challenging, culturally relevant curriculum.

I’m personally excited to support the first recommendation: to create a communications plan. This is really where we’ll see success: using the same language and definitions for this work and keeping our community informed of our goals and progress. With 20+ years of communications expertise in higher education, it’s one of the key contributions that I would bring to the committee.

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Amanda Phillips:

One reason I’m running for re-election is to have the opportunity to keep the momentum going regarding DEI initiatives. If I retain my seat I intend to continue to approach all decisions through an equity lens; specifically, who will be harmed vs who will benefit from each choice. The recent WPS equity audit findings were eye-opening and I would support all recommendations from the audit, including the following:

Collecting, tracking and reporting equity data
Developing a communication plan to keep community informed around equity work
Expanding professional development opportunities related to DEI and making them required as opposed to opt-in, and ensuring that culturally responsive practices are embedded in all professional learning opportunities
Hiring an HR Director with an explicit focus on equity and workforce diversity

In addition, in my role as the chairperson of the School Committee’s policy review subcommittee, I intend to ensure that each and every District policy is thoroughly reviewed with a specific focus on equity.

Another idea I’d like to explore is the potential for instituting School Committee office hours for WHS students. I think this could help to amplify the voices of marginalized students and provide a method to elevate concerns and identify trends. The equity audit finding that some students are experiencing hate and discrimination is extremely distressing, although not surprising, I’d like to work with District leadership to respond to these issues, with a focus on finding the right intervention and education for students who are the cause of these experiences so that we can prevent them from causing more harm.

This work is long overdue and we’ve made some real progress over the last couple of years. It’s critical that we have the right leadership team in place to keep the District moving forward.

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Tom Themistocles:

I believe that Westwood students gain socially and emotionally from the district’s emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. I believe Westwood students, teachers, and administrators to be kind, respectful and tolerant as a group. I appreciate all of their efforts to listen, to learn and to improve in the area of DEI. If elected, the social and emotional well-being of all of our students would be a top priority for me. As the Westwood Public School website says "We believe that every student who attends school in Westwood deserves to reach their full potential...." I could not agree with that more, I want ALL students to be given the tools to succeed in life. The district recently conducted an equity audit, some of the priority recommendations that came out of that audit were creating an Equity Communication Plan, hiring a director of Human Resources and coming up with a Equity Data Collection, Tracking, and Reporting Plan. I support all of these action items. One of my main priorities, if elected to the School Committee, would be to figure out how we can diversify our teaching staff. We need our teachers to reflect our students. Finally, as Inclusive Westwood says in its statement, every child who attends school in Westwood should feel seen and valued in their unique identity, and their families should have safe and supported experiences as well. We need to be tolerant of ALL people in town. We all must be honest with ourselves, and our true intentions.

QUESTION 2: From your perspective, in what ways is Westwood succeeding in being an equitable and inclusive town for all, and where is improvement needed? Please share thoughts on both parts of this question.

School Committee Candidate Responses to Question 2

JoAnna French:

I was pleased that the district co-signed the Select Board’s Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2022. Its commitment to realizing this mission is evident in the creation of the WPS Department of Equity, Integration, and Community Partnerships and the hiring of Lateefah Franck to lead this team. In conversations with district leadership about these issues, including Emily Parks (Superintendent), Ms. Franck, Mike Redmon (Principal, Thurston), Edward Walker (Dean of Students, Thurston), Deb Gallagher (Principal, Downey), and some of the current School Committee members, I sense a genuine recognition of the importance of and the desire to carry out this mission. That the district did an equity audit sends a clear message that it seeks better address the needs of all members of our community.

I applaud these efforts, but we cannot rest on our laurels. Realizing education equity should not be relegated to check-the-box platitudes, nor should the work fall on the shoulders of just a few administrative leaders. The recommendations of the Equity Audit must become everyone’s work.

The Equity Audit revealed that our students experience racism, bigoty, and homophobia in school. We also learned that there’s a perceived lack of support from district leadership regarding DEI policies and practices. I believe there’s a relationship here between student behavior, inadequate response, and a feeling that educators lack district support to respond to these actions.

Policies and practices in response to racism, bigotry and homophobia must be clear, consistent, and unequivocal. There are other areas for improvement, including addressing bias in discipline, consistent approaches to bullying prevention and response, and disparities in academic outcomes across marginalized communities. However, I believe that our most pressing challenge is addressing the inconsistent response to bigotry and racism and ensuring our teachers and school leadership are trained and prepared to address these issues.

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Amanda Phillips:

While it’s fantastic that the Select Board and the Human Rights Task Force released a statement affirming their commitment to making the town more equitable and inclusive, I think we still have an enormous amount of work to do. With the exception of the schools, I’m not aware of significant forward progress related to DEI work, despite the efforts of groups like Inclusive Westwood. In order for WPS to be successful in becoming a more inclusive and equitable district, we need the support of the community.

I think that the community needs to come together to find ways to denounce hate and find ways to ensure our town provides a welcoming environment where marginalized groups feel included and experience a sense of safety and belonging. This work could be begun through a series of forums facilitated by experts and ideally the creation of a working group of community members who identify changes that need to be made to achieve this goal. I would also like to see the community pull in the necessary stakeholders (real estate agents, town leadership, local clergy, cultural affinity groups, athletic organizations, local business owners etc.) to be a part of this work.

It seems like there are thousands of people in the community who value equity and inclusivity but there isn’t a formal framework to move the work forward. For that reason I think that the town needs to consider pursuing an equity audit that could provide an action plan that prioritizes inclusion and belonging. Perhaps if we amplified the voices of those that are marginalized, more people would see the need to demand action.

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Tom Themistocles:

Tara and I moved to Westwood because of the people and the schools. We feel Westwood is a very welcoming community. People are living here for a reason. As a town, there is always work we can do to be more equitable and inclusive. It must start at home. We must be kind to all of our neighbors, and respect everyone, even if we have a difference of opinion. In regards to Westwood Schools I do believe our educators have created an environment where students feel safe and accepted. For the most part, the recent Equity Audit found that to be the case. The work to be done in this area is never complete and there is always room for improvement. The fact that Westwood Public Schools recognizes that this an ongoing process further shows their commitment to equity and inclusion. An area for improvement would be to ensure that ALL students and families feel their needs are equally prioritized and addressed. I applaud the town of Westwood for expanding its METCO program to begin in kindergarten. This is a tremendous step in providing opportunities for all. I think we can do better as a school district to make sure there is a place where all students feel supported academically and socially. Students need to have a go-to staff as discussed in the Equity Audit. I am confident that Westwood will continue to put in the hard work so that all students can feel accepted for who they are and thrive.