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Board adopts resolution affirming support for diversity, equity and inclusion amid legal uncertainty
Summary
The governing board passed a resolution expressing support for diversity, equity and inclusion and said it will send the resolution to state Superintendent Tom Horne and post it on the district website; the board noted the state superintendent is withholding roughly 20% of the district’s Title I funds (about $1.5 million).
The Washington Elementary School District Governing Board on May 22 adopted a resolution expressing the district’s support for diversity, equity and inclusion amid ongoing court actions that have limited Department of Education enforcement.
Board President Kyle Clayton introduced the resolution and said it was intended to signal to the community that the district stands by values of diversity, equity and inclusion. Clayton noted that the state superintendent had already withheld roughly 20% of the district’s Title I funds, which he described as about $1,500,000, and that the resolution would let the community know the board’s stance while enforcement remains in flux.
Board member Bill Adams said he was generally not a proponent of resolutions because they have "no teeth," but added he intended to vote for this resolution. Board member Jenny Abbott Bayardi and others spoke in favor, saying a written statement of values is important for community members who have faced discrimination or exclusion.
The board voted to approve the resolution. Administration told the board the resolution would be sent to Tom Horne, the state superintendent of public instruction, and would be posted under the resolutions tab on the governing-board page of the district’s website.
No details on fiscal or operational consequences were provided in the public discussion beyond the chair’s reference to the holdback of Title I funds.
