In December of 2020, the Equity and Diversity Committee, a standing committee of the Guilderland Central School District Board of Education was formed to provide direction, support and oversight for the school district’s ongoing work to become more diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist in its policies, practices and programs.
Activities of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Recommend an Equity Action Plan for the district that:
- Identifies areas in need of improvement
- Establishes priorities and goals
- Establishes metrics to measure progress
- Suggests activities to address needs
- Reports progress to the greater community
- Read, review, discuss relevant research, policy papers, case studies, or other published materials regarding issues of equity and diversity
- Using a variety of means, including surveys, focus groups, and other data gathering tools, gather information/feedback/data about the current conditions in Guilderland schools regarding equity, diversity, inclusivity in areas such as school culture, policy, faculty and staff diversity, professional learning, curriculum and instruction, etc.
- Develop and implement a plan to regularly seek input from stakeholders and to communicate progress toward goals to the community, with a particular focus on our students.
- Consider the creation of subcommittees and/or task force teams to work on specific topics or priority areas, which may include additional members beyond the 20 individuals on the committee. Special consideration will be given to those individuals who submitted letters of interest but were not selected to serve on the committee.
- Prepare periodic reports and presentations to share with the Board of Education and community.
- Seek assistance from the district office team and other district professional resources for information, advice, or other support as needed.
- Such other activities as the committee deems necessary or appropriate to fulfill its charge.
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GCSD Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Meetings
Members of the Equity and Diversity Committee meet remotely and meetings are available for the public to view the recording on the GHS Media YouTube page. Meeting agendas and minutes are available on the GCSD Board Portal site.
Dec. 15, 2020
The first meeting of the committee included introductions of members and a review of the committee charge.
Jan. 20, 2021
The regular meeting included a regular learning discussion and establishing focused subcommittees.
- Watch the Jan. 20 meeting
- Review the Jan. 20 meeting minutes
- Resource discussed: 2020 Taught How to Fix This, written by David Brooks, New York Times
Feb. 24, 2021
The steering committee reported that the focus of the committee is to focus on the topic of race, and members were assigned to subcommittees.
- Watch the Feb. 24 meeting
- Review the Feb. 24 meeting minutes
- Resource discussed: You Push, We Steer: Power Dynamics in Anti-Racism Work, written by Damonni Farley, Common Thread Consulting
March 24, 2021
The committee reviewed the origins and purpose of the committee, and there was a presentation on student and faculty data.
April 21, 2021
May 26, 2021
June 22, 2021
September 22, 2021
October 12, 2021
November 17, 2021
December 15, 2021
January 19, 2022
February 9, 2022
March 23, 2022
April 27, 2022
May 11, 2022
June 22, 2022
September 15, 2022
October 19, 2022
November 16, 2022
December 20, 2022
January 25, 2023
February 28, 2023
March 22, 2023
April 19, 2023
May 22, 2023
Members of the GCSD Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
The Board of Education sought a group of 20 individuals to reflect and represent the diversity of the larger school district community. Members of the committee include:
- Up to four members of the board of education
- Students of the Guilderland Central School District
- Guilderland community members
- District employees
- The superintendent and board president will serve as ex-officio members
Membership on the committee is open to all Guilderland Central School District residents through an application process. Members will serve on the committee for two school years.
2022-23 Equity & Diversity Steering Committee
At its organizational meeting, the Equity & Diversity Committee determined that in place of a chair or c-chair model, the committee would be guided by a three-person steering committee. The steering committee is responsible for the facilitation of each meeting, and the coordination and development of agendas and minutes for future meetings.
- Maxine Alpart
- Tibisay Hernandez
- Christina Jager
- Matthew Pinchinat
- Seema Rivera
- Dr. Marie Wiles
2022-23 Committee Members
- Maxine Alpart
- Nicole Aldi
- Rebecca Butterfield
- Katie DiPierro
- Tibisay Hernandez
- Christina Jager
- Savanna Jiang
- Nina Kaplan
- Kylie Killens
- Michael Laster
- Louis Zuoguang Liu
- Elizabeth Floyd Mair
- Gwen Pope
- Nathan Sabourin
- Sandra Savage
- Julianne Scanlan
- Mary Schmitz
- Taiane Thomas
- Carla Young
Ex-Officio Members and Invited Guests
- Marie Wiles, Superintendent of Schools, Ex-Officio Member
- Regan Johnson, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
- Matt Pinchinat, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Subcommittees
The following sub-committees were created as an opportunity for nimble areas of focus. Reports from each committee will be included in the larger group meetings.
- Engagement Subcommittee
- Communications Subcommittee
- Research Subcommittee
- Student Voice Subcommittee
Engagement Subcommittee
Purpose: Work with both the community and schools to plan activities, events, professional development, etc.
Members of the Engagement Subcommittee
- Tibisay Hernandez
- Louis Zuoguang Liu
- Elizabeth Floyd Mair
- Gwen Pope
- Mary Schmitz
- Danyale Sturdivant
- Karen Lewis
- Julie Adler
- Ann Jacob
- Chris Thorncroft
Communications Subcommittee
Purpose: Work with the district communications office to develop a plan to regularly communicate progress to community stakeholders, through a variety of methods including social media. Prepare periodic reports and presentations to share with the Board of Education and community.
Members of the Communications Subcommittee
- Rebecca Butterfield
- Amy Hawrylchak
- Michael Laster
- Matthew Pinchinat
- Seema Rivera
Research Subcommittee
Purpose: Read, review, discuss relevant research, policy papers, case studies, or other published materials regarding issues of equity and diversity. Seek assistance from the district office team and other district professional resources for information, advice, or other support as needed.
Members of the Research Subcommittee
- Nina Kaplan
- Julianne Scanlan
- Taiane Thomas
- Carla Young
- Nicholas Harris
Student Voice Subcommittee
Purpose: Bridge connections between real experiences of students versus the perception of these experiences. Will include a diverse range of members to bring together representatives of all aspects of student life. Objectives include amplifying student voices, creating a standard for goal-setting and advocating for community-wide events.
Members of the Student Voice Subcommittee
- Maxine Alpart
- Savanna Jiang
- Kylie Killens
- Katie DiPierro
- Blanca Gonzalez-Parker
- Christina Jager