Brockton leaders weigh consultant vs. permanent hire to restore DEI capacity

Brockton Public Schools’ Diversity, Race, Equity and Inclusion subcommittee met to review state requirements and the district’s plan for restoring DEI capacity after a previously dedicated DEI office was dissolved.

The superintendent said Massachusetts Acts of 2024, Chapter 238, Section 219 requires districts to establish a DEI officer or team, provide bias training for staff and officials every five years, and create structures to advise school committees. The superintendent told the subcommittee the district still budgets for a DEI role but paused the most recent hiring process to clarify what that position should do.

"That department was dissolved," the superintendent said, describing how the district had budgeted and posted the role (recently titled "director of equity and excellence"), conducted interviews with community stakeholders, and found several well-qualified candidates but divergent expectations about the role’s duties. The superintendent said that, in some districts, the superintendent, director of teaching and learning, or other leaders fulfill the statutory duties rather than a standalone director.

Committee members raised concerns about concentrating DEI work in a single office. One member recalled that a previous superintendent had dismantled the DEI department without committee notice and said that putting the work solely in one position risks having that office become the default resolver of incidents rather than embedding responsibility across leadership.

The superintendent described how the district has continued DEI-related work without a standalone office: revamping hiring practices, pursuing a teacher diversification grant, providing districtwide training on immigrant student support in partnership with the nonprofit Reimagining Migration, and collaborating with the NAACP on literacy and cultural events. She also described exploring a teacher pipeline partnership with Stonehill College and said some district leaders have completed Stonehill’s DEI coursework.

As an alternative to hiring a permanent director, the superintendent outlined a consultant "train-the-trainer" model used in other districts: leadership and principals receive targeted training first, then those trained leaders prepare and deliver instruction for educators, building internal capacity without centralizing all responsibilities in one position.

Committee members requested more specifics and a cost comparison. A member asked about the Title III application and its amount; the superintendent later reported the Title III allocation for the year was $766,000 and said the portion submitted that day (fund code 186) focused on family literacy, parent outreach and services for immigrant children and youth.

The subcommittee asked the superintendent to return at the next meeting with a set of options (for example: consultant engagement, multiple short-term stipended positions, or a full-time director), and an estimated budget for each option. Members also suggested considering a name change for the subcommittee or position — the superintendent said the role title had been adjusted in recent postings to "director of equity and excellence" — if renaming would reduce political risk to funding while preserving the work.

The superintendent said she surveyed other districts and received 36 responses describing varied approaches (embedded coordinators, community engagement directors, advisory "unity" groups and consultant usage), and she offered to bring recommendations back to the subcommittee in May, with fee estimates for consultants versus permanent staffing.

The meeting ended after members agreed on next steps and a motion to adjourn was seconded and carried.

What’s next: The superintendent will present options and estimated costs (consultant vs. permanent hire), a recommended timeline, and suggested priorities at the next subcommittee meeting, with follow-up to provide the previous budgeted amount for the paused DEI position.