School board approves job-description changes after federal civil-rights letter, 4-3

The Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education voted to approve changes to several job descriptions on Feb. 24, after district staff said a Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights required prompt compliance.

District staff member David Johns, reading a statement on behalf of Superintendent Vicki Beyer, told the board the letter gave districts 14 days to comply and that failing to do so could put at risk "approximately $40,000,000 of federal funds," money that supports free and reduced-price meals and other programs. Johns said the administration did not take the request lightly.

The vote followed more than an hour of public remarks by board members. Board member James said he would vote in favor "for the first time in 3 years" despite his objections, calling the requested edits "nonsensical changes to job description language" but saying the federal funding for programs serving the district's most vulnerable students factored into his decision. "My vote also communicates my prioritization of students and programs that depend on Federal dollars," James said.

Board member Rick summarized the OCR letter and the legal basis the letter referenced, saying it cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. He read aloud portions of the letter that said institutions should "ensure their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law" and warned that those that fail to comply "may face potential loss of federal funding."

Several board members spoke to the tension between complying with federal guidance and preserving local priorities. Board member Lynn said she would vote no, calling changes that remove language about diversity and inclusion "not what I stand for" and saying she could not "give that up." Other members described voting yes "against my values" because of the financial risk to the district.

The roll call as read in the meeting transcript listed these individual votes: Lee, yes; Mills, yes; McCoy, yes; Lyerly, yes; Becker, no; Gerlach, yes; Crossan, no. The clerk also announced, "Motion carries 4 to 3," an apparent discrepancy in the oral vote report recorded in the transcript. The motion was recorded as approved.

Board discussion centered on whether the district's existing community-engagement and equity roles and descriptions could continue to be implemented in practice after wording changes. Members who opposed the revisions said the changes would "silence these discussions" and undermine efforts to prepare students for a diverse society; supporters said the staff recommended the changes to protect programs that rely on federal funds.

The board did not read the final redlined job descriptions in public during the discussion, and the meeting record does not include the exact wording that was removed or added. District staff indicated the changes affected positions in family and community engagement and pupil services and described removal of references to terms such as "diversity, equity, and inclusion" from some descriptions as part of the edits. The administration told the board the changes were intended to bring job descriptions into compliance with the Office for Civil Rights guidance.

The board moved into recess after the vote and continued the meeting with other agenda items.