Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Equity Goals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Framingham subcommittee approves 2024–25 equity goals, tasks superintendent’s office with parent advisory charter and community forums
Summary
The Framingham Public Schools equity subcommittee unanimously approved four 2024–25 goals focused on expanding multilingual parent voice, professional learning on equity and belonging, a data dashboard for metrics, and policy review; members set a December deadline to formalize a parent advisory charter and agreed to monthly community forums, including a Portuguese session on Oct. 29.
The Framingham Public Schools Equity, Diversity & Community Engagement Subcommittee unanimously approved a set of four goals for 2024–25 after hearing a presentation from Doctor Pope, the district official leading the office of equity, diversity and community engagement.
Doctor Pope outlined goals to expand parent and caregiver voice (with targeted outreach to multilingual and historically underrepresented communities), develop professional learning and retreats focused on equity and belonging, build a data-driven dashboard to monitor progress, and review district policies for equity implications. “We’re going to go into the community, live the community in their language,” Doctor Pope said, noting that the district has committed an initial Portuguese-language community forum on Oct. 29 and plans monthly forums for Latino, Haitian Creole, Brazilian and other communities.
Members sought measurable targets and deadlines. Adam Progren urged the subcommittee to require a written charter and concrete dates: “You should have a written charter on what the goal of this group would be,” he said, recommending a metric (for example, at least one representative from each school) and a year‑end deadline to establish the council’s scope. The chair and Doctor Pope agreed that metrics will include both quantitative measures (attendance, frequency) and qualitative input, and that the council charter should be established by December 31.
The subcommittee also discussed retaining staff voice within professional learning and using prior independent audits as inputs to the dashboard. Members asked that the dashboard and the subcommittee’s work explicitly reference prior external reviews—examples cited included the 2020 equity audit and multiple special education and Title IX athletics audits—so outstanding recommendations are tracked and not simply filed away.
During a short updates period, Doctor Pope said the district is close to closing an Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Title IX matter and will provide a written comparison of the compliance actions taken alongside equity-audit work. Committee members pressed for continued transparency and, where audits exposed gaps (for example, athletic-field access and proportionality issues flagged in the Title IX athletics audit), for follow-up with relevant departments.
The chair called for a motion to approve the drafted goals for 2024–25; Mister LaVarge moved, Miss Maskell seconded, and a roll-call vote passed 4–0. The subcommittee also approved the April 10 minutes and then adjourned at 5:13 p.m.
What’s next: Doctor Pope will return with written metrics, a calendar for the planned monthly community forums and a draft charter for the parent advisory council; the subcommittee scheduled follow-up agenda items for the compliance and audit updates.
