Leander ISD Trustees engaged in shared learning around equity and diversity in the district and discussed its impact on the student experience at their Jan. 21 special meeting.
View the entire agenda here. Watch the video here.
Trustees examine district efforts to facilitate equity and diversity, provide guidance for making progress
How can Leander ISD move forward in creating educational spaces that are safe, equitable and diverse for the benefit of all students?
Assistant Superintendent of Pathways and Innovation Chrysta Carlin and Area Superintendent Laurelyn Arterbury, Ed.D., led a robust Board discussion on the district’s current efforts at creating diverse, equitable school communities and what data says about its importance for the growth and health of our students.
“This meeting built upon our recently adopted core beliefs as we focus on the Leander ISD student experience,” Board President Trish Bode said. “But I think our community is wondering how do we move from shared learning discussions, like we had in this meeting, to a posture that inspires and empowers our students, teachers and staff.”
Trustees will continue their discussion at the Jan. 28 regular meeting, which will include recommendations from the LISD Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee. The group, made up of teachers, community members, administrative staff and Board members, works to affect change and support the district as it takes action to eradicate racism, intolerance and other inequities to promote a more diverse and inclusive culture for all.
“We have seen and heard the quantitative and qualitative data; it’s clear that we have work to do to reach our goal of creating equitable learning spaces for all our students,” said Board Vice President and committee member Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia, Ph.D. I hope we can make an explicit commitment towards a goal that empowers our administration and the LISD Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee to address the inequities in our district.”
Trustees will be engaging in shared learning on other topics throughout the spring.