Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Superintendent Hiring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident asks board how community input shaped new superintendent hire; calls DEI "opportunity, not a substitute for merit"
Summary
At the Feb. 6 McKeesport Area School District special meeting, resident Cynthia Baldwin asked whether citizens had input into the hiring of the district's new superintendent and urged the board not to conflate diversity, equity and inclusion with a lack of merit.
Cynthia Baldwin, a resident, asked the McKeesport Area School District Board of Directors on Feb. 6 whether there had been public input into the hiring of the district new superintendent, and urged the board not to equate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies with a lowering of merit standards.
Baldwin opened her public comment by asking directly whether citizens had been able to contribute to the superintendent search: “I am here tonight because I heard that we have a new superintendent. Do we? We do. And I wanted to ask if there was citizen input into that.” A board member responded that the district had hired a search organization and that the consultant collected public input, including a community survey "that was shared with the board." The board member said the survey results were used by the board when considering candidates.
Baldwin then described her own experience with segregation and why she views DEI as a tool to expand opportunity. She told the board: “It has nothing to do with merit. You have to have merit to get the job, but it makes sure that people who were not able to get in the door can at least have the opportunity to talk about their merit.”
A board member identified in the meeting as Mr. Bolton responded in agreement, saying the district sought to "give everyone an opportunity," and describing the district s having a process in which many candidates were considered: "Give everyone an opportunity like we did with that superintendent Lehi there was 28 people and we let all 28 speak. And then we made a decision to go from there after we had a survey, etcetera." Bolton also said the objective was "educating these kids in this district and getting the right people in here. I don't care who it is we get in here get the right one."
The public record does not include the name of the new superintendent in the public comment exchange, nor does it provide the full consultant report or the raw survey results. Board members referenced a consultant-led search, taped interviews handled by the consultant, and a community survey that was shared with the board and used in narrowing candidates.
No formal board action on the superintendent hire or on DEI policy was recorded in the Feb. 6 public meeting minutes included in the transcript; the item was raised during the public comment period. The board earlier said it had met in executive session to discuss personnel matters before the public portion of the meeting.
Provenance: Public-comment exchange on superintendent hiring and DEI appears in the transcript beginning when Baldwin addressed the board (transcript timestamp ~372.49) and continues through board members' responses (transcript timestamp ~775.32).
