Black Village Family Advisory Committee presents priorities to Hillsboro board, urges better demographic counts and staff recruitment

Members of the Black Village Family Advisory Committee told the Hillsboro School District 1J board on March 1 that the district should change how it counts Black‑identifying students, expand recruitment of Black staff, and continue district support for student programs such as Black Student Unions.

The Black Village presentation, introduced by a district family engagement lead and Juana Canfield (education liaison), described a year of events and work aimed at reducing disciplinary disparities and strengthening family‑school ties. Presenters asked the district to include biracial and multiracial students who identify as Black in demographic counts, saying the change would better reflect representation and bolster eligibility for state and private grants. Presenters cited a currently reported figure of 655 students identified as Black under the district’s existing count and urged the board to consider qualitative notations where multiple identifications occur.

Speakers also highlighted programs built through the advisory group’s partnership with the district: a winter story‑time, a summer camp that filled quickly, mini college expos with historically Black colleges and local universities, and partnerships between Black Student Unions and family outreach staff. Presenters said the district has added a bias‑incident report link on the homepage and rolled out districtwide professional development branded as “Not My School” for staff and K–12 student lessons to address harmful bias. To reduce reliance on one‑time grants, they described a new donation channel so community members can contribute directly to the Black Village’s work.

A student leader from South Meadows Middle School, identified as a Black Student Union president, described improvements in referrals and suspensions since advisory work began and urged continued mentoring and advisor support for BSU chapters across the district. Committee leaders asked for modest district investments in BSU advisers and for support to scale successful events across multiple family engagement groups.

Board members thanked presenters, praised student testimony and the advisory committee’s partnership with Equity, Access and Engagement staff, and asked district staff to continue collaboration on representation, hiring pathways and communication. The board did not take formal action at the meeting but directed staff to keep the committee’s recommendations in mind as part of ongoing strategic plan work and family engagement activities.

The presentation and ensuing discussion underscored three concrete asks from the committee: (1) modify reporting to better count multiracial and biracial students who identify as Black; (2) increase staffing and paid advisor support for BSUs; and (3) sustain funding and communication channels for events and bias reporting so family feedback can more directly inform district decisions.

The board’s next step is continued staff follow‑up through existing family engagement and HR channels; no motion or vote was required.