District Leaders Seek to Improve Equity and Anti-Racist Practices
Burlington School District (BSD) is soliciting written proposals from professionally qualified contractors to support and train district leadership in developing their anti-racist, equity leadership capacities while maintaining an atmosphere that builds trust and allows for vulnerability. The Request for Proposals (RPF) for an Equity & Anti-racist Leadership Consultant is open now; proposals are due January 21st.
“BSD leaders are passionate about equity and anti-racism work,” said BSD Superintendent Flanagan. “This is essential work for our team to be engaged in as we seek to build positive school climates, deep learning experiences, and curriculum that reflect the attitudes of equity and inclusion that we value so much.”
Flanagan noted that the RFP comes directly as a request from the BSD leadership team and builds on the work that the team has been doing since 2020. “When I started, it was clear that our principals and department leaders wanted to learn more and do more to address inequities and systemic racism, and they asked that we spend time digging into that work last year. They want to use this opportunity to build upon that past work and continue learning. I’m happy to support our leaders in this work because I am passionate about equity and I also know that by strengthening these sensibilities on our leadership team, we can give them the tools to do this work in their schools and departments.”
Among other goals, BSD is looking for proposals designed to help participants push their thinking and learning around issues of equity and anti-racism, use equity and anti-racist competencies to develop plans for their own staff, and develop the necessary skills to implement the Superintendent’s goal of dismantling white supremacy culture and racism.
The plan must include training, action steps, 1:1 sessions with Cabinet members (the District leadership team), and assessment milestones for both Cabinet as a whole and for individual leaders.
Responses to this Request for Proposals should be submitted electronically to Sparks, BSD’s Director of Equity, at hsparks@bsdvt.org, by January 21, 2022. Proposals should outline how the consultant would approach the work and all associated costs. BSD can be available to meet with potential organizations to provide additional information about the scope of work as needed. Questions can be directed to Jocelyn Fletcher Scheuch, Associate Director of Teaching and Learning, at jfletche@bsdvt.org or (802) 540-9163.
