School Committee Hears Diversity Report

A report at Wednesday evening's School Committee meeting showed that enrollment has been steady at 70 percent white and 30 percent minority for the past three years while the teaching staff is currently eight percent non-white.

Assistant Superintendent John Phelan presented the reported after members of Citizens for a Diverse Milton addressed the board, both giving credit and asking for more minority hires.

Phelan explained in the report's first section that hiring efforts are a priority of the district. The report says in 2006-2007 the district had seven percent non-white teachers, since that time it has leveled at eight percent.

Phelan said that increase was due in part to further networking, advertising positions in various racially diverse publications and attending job fairs and diversity fairs.

Superintendent Mary Gormley pointed out that these practices will lead to more diversity in the ranks.

"If you don't have a diverse pool, you're not going to have a diverse candidate and a diverse staff," said Gormley, who added that there were minority candidates as finalists for the recent principal hires that went to internal candidates.

The report also covered embracing diversity, diversity in schools, including events like Celebrate Milton, enrollment data and student achievement. The student achievement portion was new to the report this year and featured data from the Adequate Yearly Progress that came out last month.

Phelan also emphasized that the Citizens for Diverse Milton group, which meets periodically with the administration and facilitates committees in each school has done a good job keeping diversity issues on "the front burner" in Milton.

• Also at the meeting, the School Committee laid out their goals for the coming year, which include: complete a review of school choice, create a process to review sustainability of programs, create an academic review of fine arts and social studies, create measurable academic goals and take a town-wide look at needs.
• The Committee also approved two and a half percent raises for a group of 20 non-union employees. The vote passed with four yes votes, an opposed from Mary Kelly and an abstention from Chris Huban.
• Finally, a report from Dr. Noreen Diamond Burdett, the district's fine arts director, addressed the effects of a 2007-2008 cut at the elementary level that brought art and music to 50 percent. Music has since been increased in the elementary schools and art is thriving at the high school level.