Hinsdale 'Dangerous': Equity Consultant Pulls Out

DARIEN, IL — An anti-racism consultant denounced Hinsdale as "dangerous" this week as she withdrew her proposal to provide training to staff at Hinsdale High School District 86.

At the beginning of a school board meeting Thursday, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss read a letter from Valda Valbrun, chief executive of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Valbrun Consulting Group. Valbrun had been scheduled to give a virtual presentation at the meeting.

"Respectfully, the events of today (1/12), coupled with the manner in which I was treated upon visiting your district, lead me to conclude that The Valbrun Consulting Group is not the right partner," Valbrun said in the letter, which the district provided Patch.

"The vitriol and lack of professionalism in the direct messages I received from members of your school community demonstrates a clear lack of goodwill to address issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in your district," Valbrun said. "I got several messages yesterday and really think Hinsdale is a dangerous place and would not be physically comfortable there."

Valbrun said it was unfortunate that residents would prefer to spend their energy trying to discredit her character than examine the practices, policies and behaviors that have created disparities in the district. She said her firm prefers to enter agreements with clients who are genuinely committed to equity.

"This underscores both the sense of urgency to address these issues, yet demonstrates why these inequities are pervasive and unresolved," Valbrun said. "It’s shameful, and I feel sorry for the students that have to experience this and don’t have the privilege of walking away."

The audience at the board meeting erupted in applause and cheers after Prentiss read the letter.

The district's administration had recommended Valbrun's firm over three others.

This is the second controversy over anti-racism consultants this school year. In September, Saxman Consulting and Anew Collective Consulting agreed to terminate their contract for anti-racism training. That was after consultant Christine Saxman retweeted the message, "Cops quitting because they won't get vaxxed feels like a real two-birds-one-stone situation."

It may have been a tweet from Valbrun that prompted opposition to her. During public comments, a number of residents noted a tweet in which Valbrun wrote, "DeSantis and Abbott are the devil. Just like Trump. I hope the entire GOP implodes." She was referring to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Darien resident Mary O'Dowd, who often speaks to the board about her opposition to critical race theory, walked up in front of the meeting's video camera and showed Valbrun's tweet.

"I find this shameful," O'Dowd said.

Other speakers also criticized Valbrun and the effort to hire an anti-racism consultant.

"We have a woke culture ruining our schools," Darien resident Noel Manley said. "Why would the district want to hire another racist consultant?"

He said the money for consultants would be better applied to providing courses at South, which is offering about 80 fewer than Central this year. Statistics show that South has a significantly greater percentage of low-income students.

Officials said a committee would look into the next steps on hiring a consultant.