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Office of Equity outlines systemic plan, counselors pilot and new standards
Summary
Chief Stacy Gray Chee told the board the Office of Equity has shifted from service-oriented requests to a systemic model with four equity dimensions and an equity-standards framework; she highlighted a counselors beta pilot, culturally responsive instruction self-study and youth ambassador programming while acknowledging more work is needed to repair community trust.
Chief Stacy Gray Chee presented the Office of Equity’s progress report and a refreshed systemic-equity approach to the St. Paul Public School District committee on Nov. 5.
Chee said the office reorganized in 2023 to align with the district mission and strategic plan, moving from a service-response model to a systemic framework that emphasizes four dimensions—environment, power, systems and capacity. She described the standards as tools to create shared language and expectations across schools.
The presentation highlighted five concrete efforts. Chee described a counselors beta in which counseling staff cross-walked counseling professional standards with equity standards to shape capacity-building for counselors in classroom-embedded systemic work. She said the pilot helped counselors think beyond isolated incidents and toward patterns and structures that perpetuate inequities.
Chee also summarized a culturally responsive instruction self-study conducted with classroom and central-office staff and partner researchers, youth ambassador leadership development for high school students, a community-facing equity summit with more than 100 participants and a revised foundational professional-development course rolled out to portions of HR this fall.
Board members asked whether the counselors beta and the self-study were one-offs and whether the district planned a formal rubric to track implementation. Chee said the beta tested feasibility and that a rubric is “not ready yet”; instead, she described an iterative approach that will evolve to match readiness across departments.
Several directors raised hard questions about material used in counseling and instructional materials, citing an anti-bullying worksheet that placed an angry Black boy on the first page and white children on others. One director asked how the district will “repair harm” between now and a future K–8 opening; Chee and Superintendent Stanley emphasized the need for partnership with community and restorative practices, and committed to building feedback and monitoring loops.
Chee said the office recently hired a director-level equity leader and has aligned staff into equity specialists with supplemental support from research, evaluation and assessment for program evaluation and project management.
The superintendent thanked Chee and noted the district will continue to refine timelines and transparency around equity work. Board members asked for clearer next steps, a public plan for repair and a schedule for further reporting and presentations.
