District 196 Seeking Members For New Equity Advisory Council

Press release from Independent School District 196:

August 4, 2020

District 196 Superintendent Mary Kreger announced the creation of a new Equity Advisory Council (EAC) at the July 27 School Board meeting. Interested students, parents, staff and community members are invited to apply before the Aug. 28 deadline to be considered for a position. The application is available at District196.org.

Kreger outlined specifics of the new advisory council as part of a comprehensive report to the board detailing the district’s heightened focus on equity efforts to end systemic racism. In June, the board approved a resolution denouncing the killing of George Floyd and reinforcing the district’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. The resolution also directs Superintendent Kreger to develop recommendations to address racial inequalities in District 196 schools by December.

The EAC will have authority to make recommendations to the Superintendent’s Cabinet on potential changes needed to ensure equitable practices and systems, and to eliminate the predictability of student achievement based upon race, gender, special education status or eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. The council’s role is to:

• Participate in analysis of data related to student achievement, attendance and discipline;
• Receive presentations related to various topics impacting student equity and inclusion in district schools;
• Offer multiple perspectives and community voice on matters of student equity and inclusion, and the impact of bias on District 196 systems and practices.
• Participate in community outreach opportunities to collect information and address the needs of underrepresented or underserved families in the district, and
• Participate in reviews of programs and initiatives designed to enhance student equity and inclusion.

The EAC will initially be comprised of the following 26 District 196 stakeholders:

• 3 parents/guardians (one each representing elementary, middle and high school);
• 2 at-large community members (must be a resident of District 196);
• 6 high school students (one from each school);
• 2 district directors (elementary and secondary education);
• 3 principals (one each representing elementary, middle and high school);
• 6 teachers (representing elementary, middle school, high school and special education);
• 1 cultural family advocate staff member;
• 2 assistant administrators, and
• 1 Dakota County United Educators executive board member.

The superintendent, coordinator of Equity and Inclusion, and three School Board members serve as ex-officio members of the EAC. The ex-officio members will review all applications submitted before the Aug. 28 deadline and may need to conduct short interviews by Zoom before making a recommendation on membership to the full board.

Terms of office begin on July 1 and end on June 30. Terms last two years and are staggered, with half of the positions up for appointment each year. Members can serve more than one term. Terms for the initial EAC members will begin Oct. 1, 2020 with 13 of them serving until June 30, 2022 and 13 serving until June 30, 2023.

Applications are available here or by calling the district’s Equity and Inclusion office at 651-423-7916 to request a paper copy.

Applications will be accepted through Aug. 28.

This press release was produced by Independent School District 196. The views expressed here are the author’s own.