Tacoma Public Schools will eliminate the position of equity and diversity coordinator – a function that has been around since the 1960s – at the end of the summer.
The office has historically handled complaints among students and staff, ranging from racial discrimination to sexual harassment to gender inequity in sports.
The change comes in a year when the school district pledged to work hard to close the test score achievement gap between white and minority students. That pledge is important in a school district where a majority of students are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
But district administrators say having a point person on diversity issues isn’t the only way to achieve progress.
“We are making it a district priority,” said Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno. “Everybody has to take responsibility in getting the work done.”
The change means Da Verne Bell, who has held the job of coordinator since October 2007, will lose her $102,000-a-year post at the end of August. She came to Tacoma from the Vancouver School District, where she held a similar job for 13 years. It, too, was eliminated.
Bell didn’t want to comment on her job loss, other than to say that she hopes Tacoma will continue to focus on equity and diversity issues.
The Rev. Arthur Banks hopes to ensure that those issues stay front and center. He is president of the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance, a group of black clergy that has frequently spoken out on education issues.
He said Santorno’s plan seems “more feasible for getting results, which we are crying out for.”
“We will watch, look and listen – and look for the results,” he said.
The school board began the 2009-10 school year thinking about diversity issues, when a consultant’s report offered a list of suggestions on how to close the achievement gap. An advisory committee of 40 school staff and residents came up with seven strategies, including improved recruitment and retention of diverse employees, and encouraging students to have a voice on diversity issues.
Santorno said Bell’s duties will be dispersed to several offices around the district, including Santorno’s. Some of the transition began during the 2009-10 school year. Investigations of complaints from students and staff members that were formerly handled by the equity and diversity coordinator were switched to the district’s human resources office.
This past year, the HR office handled 10 cases involving students complaining about other students, 14 staff-to-staff complaints and six staff-to-student complaints.
Bell’s office focused on achievement-gap issues, such as a conference for high school students this spring.
School principals have been encouraged to try to solve equity and diversity problems within their buildings.
Cases involving gender equity issues in sports are to be handled by the district’s athletic director.
Ensuring that minority students are fairly represented in programs for high-achieving students and not overly represented in special-education classes will be a broad-based responsibility, but Santorno said the buck stops with her.
“That’s a systems issue,” she said. “One person can’t direct that. Da Verne didn’t have authority over that. I do have that authority.”
Marilyn Walton, who retired four years ago after more than 15 years as head of the school district’s equity and diversity office, said the job had evolved over the years. She said race-based cases diminished, while cases involving other issues such as sexual harassment, disabilities and sports gender equity increased.
Walton is skeptical about whether eliminating the coordinator job and spreading responsibility throughout the district will work.
“When you have it dispersed, everyone is doing their own thing,” she said. “It’s hard to see if you’re really making a difference.”
The elimination of the equity and diversity position is one of several changes in school district central office assignments.
Assistant Superintendent Rosanne Fulton will absorb the duties of two other administrative positions: curriculum director and professional development director. Karyn Clarke, director of school innovation, will take up the work of the former coordinator of school, family and community partnerships.
Finally, three new administrative positions were added: middle school director, elementary instruction director and director of the Title I program, a federally funded program to assist with the education of children living in poverty.
The effect of the job eliminations and job additions is a savings of $145,517 in both salary and benefits.
But Santorno said the main reason for the changes was to make strategic moves to improve the district, not to save money.
Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635 debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com
Story corrected: The wrong annual salary was given for Da Verne Bell, the departing equity and diversity coordinator for Tacoma Public Schools. Bell said the correct salary is about $102,000. A higher number, provided by school district officials, also included benefits. The story also incorrectly described $145,517 in district savings from several job eliminations as coming from salary; that number also included benefits.
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