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North Kingstown DEI advisory committee recommends phased rollout of equity vision statement, requests $3,000
Summary
The North Kingstown DEI Advisory Committee voted to recommend a phased rollout of the district’s equity vision statement, asking the School Committee to allocate $3,000 from the current fiscal-year budget for an initial internal launch in spring 2025.
The North Kingstown DEI Advisory Committee voted to recommend that the School Committee launch a phased rollout of the district’s equity vision statement, beginning with an internal launch in spring 2025 and follow-up phases in fall 2025 and spring 2026.
The committee’s recommendation, read during the meeting by School Committee Chair Aaron Earls, asked the School Committee to “encourage and support the creation of a web presence, a promotional video, email communications, branded stickers, and a creative competition with awards” and to “allocate $3,000 from the fiscal year 2025 budget,” with additional funding to be considered in FY2026. Aaron Earls read the draft recommendation aloud to the committee before members moved to adopt it.
Members discussed how to make the statement visible and substantive rather than merely decorative. Sally Davidson, the district’s equity, belonging and community engagement coordinator, said the statement should be easy for families and staff to find online and in school buildings: “I think it should be posted in a prominent place in the buildings.” Committee members suggested placing materials in high-traffic school spaces such as cafeterias and gymnasiums, adding the statement to student handbooks and new‑family materials, and featuring students in videos and presentations.
Students and committee members proposed several tactics to sustain attention beyond the initial launch: a student-led video campaign, stickers and small giveaways, an art contest, periodic reminders in school announcements and professional development time, and the possibility of a community showcase event in a later phase. Will Moss, a junior at North Kingstown High School who participated in the meeting, recommended ongoing social media and quarterly reminders to keep the message visible: “Social media definitely helps. But I kind of agree ... social media doing constant, like, ... just like constantly patting the idea into the system and then you really start to latch on to it more and more.”
After discussion about cost and implementation responsibility, the committee moved, seconded and approved a motion recommending the phased rollout and initial $3,000 allocation. Committee members noted the School Committee controls budget and policy authority; the advisory committee’s action is a recommendation for the School Committee and administration to act on and to identify specific funding lines and implementation steps.
The committee also outlined a three-part framework for the rollout: an internal launch focused on staff and students (spring 2025), a community launch (planned for a later phase), and a sustainability plan to keep the vision statement visible across the district over time.
