Board approves director of equity and inclusion contract after split vote and extended debate

The Community High School District 128 Board of Education voted Feb. 24 to approve the contract for the district’s director of equity and inclusion after extended debate. The item was removed from a broader slate of administrator contracts at the request of some board members and then voted on separately.

Board member Cara Drumke began the conversation by requesting the director of equity and inclusion contract be separated from the omnibus motion. "My biggest concern is that any vote will indicate some kind of a value placed on the work that the district is doing towards equity and inclusion, and that is not my intent," Drumke said. She added she values the work done at the building level but questioned whether a district-level administrator is the best implementation vehicle.

Several other board members echoed concerns about implementation and return on investment. Sonal Kulkarni said she was not convinced the role as designed had returned the level of benefit the board expected. Don Carmichael and other supporters emphasized continuity and the recommendation that led to creating the position: Carmichael noted that the district’s equity committee, made up of teachers, ESP and administrators, had asked for the position three years earlier and that removing it now would undercut that recommendation and the incoming superintendent’s ability to lead with an assembled team.

The board debated operational implications, including who would absorb the director’s responsibilities if the position were eliminated and whether school-level structures could assume the work. Several members argued that removing the contract now would make it harder for the incoming superintendent to review and reorganize the administrative team.

The motion to approve the director-of-equity-and-inclusion contract was made by Don Carmichael and seconded by Jera Benjamin. The roll-call vote was: Jim Batson — aye; Jera Benjamin — aye; Don Carmichael — aye; Cara Drumke — no; Lisa Hessel — aye; Middleish Katwal (spelled variously in the transcript as Katwal/Atwal/Kotwal) — no; Sonal Kulkarni — no. The motion passed 4–3.

Clarifying details discussed in the debate: the position was developed following a request from an equity committee composed of teachers, ESP staff and administrators; the director role had been expanded to include enhanced district safety duties; opponents argued that building-level work could continue without a district administrator and that costs and implementation fidelity should be reviewed; supporters argued that removing the position would disrupt continuity and the incoming superintendent’s transition.