Much ado about nothing
By NewsPress Now
The St. Joseph School District faces an uphill battle – more so than some would like to believe – in getting a $20 million bond issue passed this spring.
Yes, the Board of Education can legitimately call this modest proposal a “no tax increase” bond issue, but the approach to putting this measure on the ballot did not leave voters with a good first impression. Instead, the decision to call for a bond issue – only to later determine what the money would pay for – could be described as something from the “ready, fire, aim” playbook.
With a clear message and a good campaign, this less-than-ideal start fades into the background and doesn’t have to be a fatal error. But it’s important to not take anything for granted, which is why it’s hard to fathom why the board/district would choose this moment to wade into a divisive debate on the creation of a DEI position in the school district.
DEI – or diversity, equity and inclusion – brings out the worst in everyone. We saw it last year when the Missouri Legislature attempted to strip DEI funding for state colleges and universities from the budget.
The most die-hard critics view DEI as a Trojan horse for wokism, Marxism and George Sorosism. It’s hard to believe a diversity program can be this bad, but the supporters of DEI can be just as shrill in their public pronouncements.
We saw that following the school board discussion on a DEI position, where online commentators were quick to label opponents as bigots. Whitney Lanning went so far as to accuse fellow board members David Foster and Kim Miller of caving to a minority of partisan opposition.
Let that statement sink in for a moment. Since when is hitting the pause button and taking the time to listen to community concerns such a bad thing for an elected official?
For better or worse, this issue is now in the school board’s lap and its members will have to tune out the partisan noise.
School board members will have to ask themselves whether a DEI administrative position – even if it’s a budget-neutral one – does much to advance the district’s goals for hiring or improving student outcomes.
Do job applicants want to hear about all of the diversity training that’s available, or do they just want better pay? Would a DEI director be able to do anything to make sure that each student has access to equal facilities and comparable academic programming in all district school buildings? We would argue that those are the biggest equity issues for the SJSD to tackle right now.
This whole debate brings to mind the final scene from “The Wizard of Oz.” Whether you see an as-yet-unfilled DEI position as something the district needs or an example of overreach, you’ll be surprised when you pull back the curtain.
There’s not much there.
