Village at Ithaca director and longtime educator urge equity-driven 'village rep' role on hiring panels

Roberta Wallet, a longtime teacher and lead member of the Equity and Inclusion Leadership Committee (EILC), told the Team of Resources Community Committee that intentional representation on hiring committees helped prevent hiring patterns that replicated the district’s existing demographics. "If we don't have people who are intentionally on the committee for the purpose of making sure that we hire teachers who are culturally competent... we are going to just keep replicating the people who don't know how to teach children of color," Wallet said.

Merrill Pitts, executive director of the Village at Ithaca, described how the village recruited and trained "village reps" (formerly called community reps) to serve on interview panels with an explicit equity lens. "The point is to be a representative to multiple committees in the room with an eye specifically on equity," Pitts said, and added that structural barriers—such as the need to take time off work—often deter volunteers.

Committee members pressed for clarity on how village reps are selected and what their role accomplishes in practice. Wallet recounted the committee-training model she helped run under the district’s earlier affirmative-action office and said the village took over recruitment around 2000. Wallet asked the committee to consider whether village-driven equity participation is still necessary and how community participation differs from equity-driven participation.

The discussion expanded to practical recruitment and application design. Committee members outlined existing HR training: a monthly frontline professional-development module that staff must complete to serve on hiring committees. A Staff member who runs the training said slides and a required enrollment process are in place and described plans for a modular (asynchronous) training with assessments.

The committee debated whether mandatory written essays on applications create barriers for candidates and explored alternative submission formats such as short audio or video statements. "An alternative—like submitting a personal video—could make space for people who communicate better in different ways," Pitts said. Members also raised concerns that AI-generated text might mask candidates' true experience; the group discussed adapting assessment methods to evaluate candidates' real-world practice and intent.

Speakers emphasized that recruitment must be combined with retention strategies. Wallet and staff members pointed to "grow-your-own" pathways and supports for Education Support Professionals (ESPs): the district offers a tuition-reimbursement benefit covering 50% of tuition under the ESP contract, and the committee recently launched an ESP mentor program intended to aid retention and professional advancement.

Committee members asked about up-to-date demographic reporting. Wallet said earlier figures she recalled were "35 percent students of color and 5 percent staff of color," but she could not confirm current numbers and reported she had sought updated figures from district staff without response.

The committee concluded by thanking Wallet and Pitts and agreeing to continue the conversation. Chair said the group meets monthly and expressed a goal of arriving at concrete actions by the end of the year.