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Guilderland Central School District Equity and Diversity Committee

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 Equity and Diversity Committee include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Recommend an Equity Action Plan for the district that:
    1. Identifies areas in need of improvement
    2. Establishes priorities and goals
    3. Establishes metrics to measure progress
    4. Suggests activities to address needs
    5. Reports progress to the greater community
  2. Read, review, discuss relevant research, policy papers, case studies, or other published materials regarding issues of equity and diversity
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Prepare periodic reports and presentations to share with the Board of Education and community.
  7. Seek assistance from the district office team and other district professional resources for information, advice, or other support as needed.
  8. Such other activities as the committee deems necessary or appropriate to fulfill its charge.

Jump to: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Homepage | GCSD Equity and Diversity Committee Meetings | Members of the GCSD Equity and Diversity Committee | Equity and Diversity Subcommittees 

GCSD Equity and Diversity Committee Meetings

Members of the Equity and Diversity Committee meet remotely and meetings are available for the public to view live or watch 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.

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.

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

Regular meeting.

May 26, 2021

Regular meeting.

June 16, 2021

Regular meeting.

Members of the GCSD Equity and Diversity 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
  • 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.

For initial committee members, their terms include 2020-21 and 2021-22.

2020-21 & 2021-22 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.

  • Nedra Erway, Staff Chair
  • Mirzad Glavic, Student Chair 
  • Amy Hawrylchak, Parent/Guardian and Community Member Chair 

2020-21 & 2021-22 Committee Members

  • Maxine Alpart
  • Nicole Aldi
  • Nora Ebersman
  • Barbara Fraterrigo
  • Andy Genovese
  • Benjamin Goes
  • Tibisay Hernandez
  • Dee Johnson
  • Louis Zuoguang Liu
  • Elizabeth Floyd Mair
  • Joseph Otter
  • Kelly Person
  • Sandra Savage
  • Leah Threatte
  • Gloria Towle-Hilt
  • Nora Whiteside
  • Michael Laster 

Ex-Officio Members and Invited Guests

  • Marie Wiles, Superintendent of Schools, Ex-Officio Member
  • Seema Rivera, Board President, Ex-Officio Member
  • Regan Johnson, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
  • Demian Singleton, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction 

Equity and Diversity 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

Engagement Subcommittee 

Purpose: Work with both the community and schools to plan activities, events, professional development, etc.

Members of the Engagement Subcommittee

  • Barb Fraterrigo
  • Elizabeth Floyd-Mair
  • Nora Whiteside
  • Nora Ebersman
  • Sandra Savage
  • Nicole Aldi
  • Tibisay Hernandez
  • Nedra Erway

Communications Subcommittee

Purpose: Work with the district communications office to develop a plan to regularly communicate progress to community stakeholders, including social media. Prepare periodic reports and presentations to share with the Board of Education and community.

Members of the Communications Subcommittee

  • Marie Wiles
  • Mike Laster
  • Maxine Alpart
  • Andy Genovese
  • Kelly Person

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

  • Mirzad Glavic
  • Leah Threatte
  • Louis Liu
  • Ben Goes

Internal Equity Audit Subcommittee

Purpose: Recommend an Equity Action Plan for the district that:

  1. Gathers both qualitative and quantitative data about groups and subgroups within the district, including sex/gender; race; ethnicity; English language learners, students with IEPs and 504s; socioeconomic status, etc.
  2. Identifies areas of need
  3. Establishes priorities and goals
  4. Suggests activities to address needs
  5. Establishes metrics to measure progress
  6. Reports progress to the greater community

Members of the Internal Equity Audit Subcommittee

  • Gloria Towle-Hilt
  • Joe Otter
  • Dee Johnson
  • Seema Rivera
  • Amy Hawrylchak
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