Superintendent's Message
May 1, 2009

Many of you are enjoying the incredible performances and community events at our schools this spring. Our schools host multicultural celebrations, theatre productions, sports competitions, concerts and art shows open to the community. If you attend any of these, I expect you share my appreciation for the energy, talent and creativity of our students.

Burlington's children increasingly reflect our global diversity. In November, Dan Balon joined the district, succeeding Lashawn Sells as Burlington Schools' Diversity and Equity Director. In March, our district's "Commitment to Diversity" policy was approved by the School Board. Many community members, in partnership with the Board's Policy and Advocacy Committee, helped develop the statement below which guides school-wide services, decisions and practices.

Burlington's Commitment To Diversity Policy

The Burlington School District recognizes and values the diversity of our students, staff and community. The District is committed to a culture of diversity that reflects the voices, perspectives and differences arising from our diverse community and the world. We believe that it is important for students to understand and appreciate human diversity, develop a capacity for cultural competence, and commit to encouraging inclusion in their future lives.

The District will adopt procedures and implement staff training intended to achieve a diverse and culturally competent school community, inclusive of diverse races, class, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious and spiritual beliefs, ages, and physical and learning abilities. The administration shall report to the Board annually on its progress, barriers and outcomes.

Welcoming An Inclusive Environment

Our commitment to diversity begins with schools that are welcoming and inclusive. As a starting point, we are working to understand how well our schools meet this goal - for students, teachers, parents, and community members. Beyond the school day, our schools serve as community centers hosting youth and adult athletic leagues, civic groups, neighborhood activities and city events.

Our commitment to diversity also includes our recruiting and hiring practices. We believe that the diversity of our students should be reflected in our faculty. A group of community members attended the last school board meeting to urge the district to more aggressively pursue diversity in our hiring. Although we have expanded our recruiting efforts, our recent searches for elementary school principals did not generate much diversity in our applicants. We hope to work more closely with the City to understand how Burlington can attract more diverse candidates. If you have feedback for us, or would like to be involved in our diversity initiatives, please email Dan at dbalon@bsdvt.org

Accessibility

Our commitment to diversity includes the physical accessibility of our buildings. Many of our schools have accessibility challenges that pose significant barriers to our inclusivity. Edmunds Middle School has limited wheelchair accessibility and Burlington High School has challenges to full accessibility. In our discussions this year about the state of our buildings, accessibility of all buildings has always been a focal point. However, the critical health and safety repairs have required immediate attention.

The accessibility of our buildings must remain a priority, even if it means pursuing small interim steps to improve accessibility modestly, over time. A lack of accessibility is a problem for our entire community - whether it affects a student, teacher, parent participating in a school activity or Burlington resident attending a community event or meeting. Edmunds Middle School and Burlington High School must become more accessible. A group of community members is working in partnership with the non-profit community, government entities and the district to spearhead accessibility improvements. The board has authorized costing out a first step to provide access at EMS. We hope to work in partnership with the city and the state to acquire support to begin to address these issues.

Budget

As I mentioned last month, we have already begun to review our school budget. This year, we will put a process in place to incorporate more community feedback, as we work to manage costs and provide quality schools. I plan to convene a citizen's advisory group this month to ensure that more of community voices are included in our preliminary work.

If you are interested in working with us on accessibility, diversity or budgeting, please email me at superintendent@bsdvt.org or call 864-8474.