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Equity office proposes new name, “Office of Educational Access and Opportunity,” to broaden reach; board raises questions
Summary
Montgomery County Public Schools’ Office of Equity and Diversity told the board it proposes renaming itself the Office of Educational Access and Opportunity to clarify mission and broaden outreach; the presentation was informational and drew questions from trustees about removing the words "equity" and "diversity."
The Montgomery County Public Schools Office of Equity and Diversity presented a proposal to rename the office the “Office of Educational Access and Opportunity” and to rebrand its outreach to make its work less likely to be perceived as limited to race‑based issues.
Director Gailene Witsetzer and Administrator Stacy Wright reviewed five years of the office’s work — including equity leads and student equity cabinets at all 20 schools, student internship support with the Christiansburg Institute, cultural competency training, and partnerships with community organizations — and said the office’s activities have broadened beyond the public’s narrower view of “race‑only” concerns. Witsetzer said the office wished to emphasize proactive, access‑focused programming and asked the board for support for a name change and a communications strategy; she said the change would not require immediate policy revisions.
Presenters provided demographic context: the division has 9,572 students (7,431 white; 599 Hispanic; 443 Asian; 413 Black or African‑American; 634 multiracial and smaller counts for other groups) and 2,651 employees. The office said its priorities are aligning with the superintendent’s strategic goals (high expectations, accountability, and reduced disproportionality) and outlined programs such as book studies, the Finding Your Blind Spots pilot and restorative practices work.
Board members asked whether dropping “equity” and “diversity” from the department name would reduce clarity about its role or make it vulnerable to future political pressure. Several members said they supported the office’s mission but were ambivalent about a name change; others suggested the board should expect a future formal action if the name change is pursued. Director Witsetzer said the proposal was informational; the administration indicated a return with details and that any formal renaming would be brought to the board for action.
No formal motion or vote occurred; presenters asked only for the board’s input and said the office would continue outreach and return with next steps if the board wished to proceed.
