Advisory Committee for Equity in Education reports progress; board hears partnership and attendance updates

The Goochland County School Board received an update July 9 from the Advisory Committee for Equity in Education (ACE) and heard related operational briefings from the superintendent’s office.

Committee representatives said they realigned bylaws to reflect board policy definitions of equity, noted that the Bulldog Advisory Committee for Equity in Education now includes student participants, and described a long-standing professional-development partnership with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC). One committee member said VCIC has provided trainings for more than a decade and that recent staff surveys show positive results on belonging and inclusion.

Board members asked what the phrase 'historically marginalized' in the committee’s purpose means in practice and whether the committee’s work risks labeling students. Presenters said the committee intends to use the board’s adopted definition of equity — eliminating predictable outcome gaps tied to external factors such as socioeconomic status, ZIP code, race and gender — and that student voice is being integrated to ensure relevance to current learners.

Separately, Superintendent Dr. Camardi reported preliminary average daily attendance near 91%, noting that the roughly 9% difference from full enrollment represents 'over 200 kids' absent from regular attendance patterns and is an area of continued focus. The superintendent also announced that the division received a $300,000 Virginia Outdoors Foundation grant to fund a new learning park and outdoor spaces at Youghiogheny Elementary School.

Board members thanked committee volunteers and said they would further discuss goals and monitoring at the upcoming board retreat.