Oshkosh school board votes to add Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director to district staff

OSHKOSH ‒ The Oshkosh Area School Board unanimously voted to add a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position to the school district's organization.

The proposal, approved after a lengthy discussion Wednesday night, creates a new position with responsibilities of overseeing the growth of diversity efforts in the Oshkosh Area School District, including having authority of a $40,000 budget to direct those efforts.

The total cost of the position is estimated to be between $210,000 and $230,000, with an estimated salary of $120,000 to $140,000. The position will be included as part of staffing additions for the 2023-24 school year.

One of the biggest questions from the board was where the funding for the position would come from. Multiple board members expressed concerns about the position's costs and wondered whether the resources could be put in other places.

Superintendent Brian Davis no specifics were in place yet for the funding, but said adding the position would be a part of the normal staffing process.

Board member Stephanie Carlin said the efforts from community members, who proposed the idea, were impactful in her vote approving the position.

"Equity work cannot simply be a bullet point in every job description," Carlin said. "This position echoes our commitment to making real change in our schools and I think this is an amazing opportunity."

Board member Kristopher Karns said while he struggled on deciding whether this was the right move, one statistic lingered in his mind that was shared during a workshop led by Julie Conrad, OASD's Director of Curriculum and Assessment. Out of 145 district students who took AP classes during the 2021-22 school year, none were Black students, which Karns said was "terrible."

Board member Angie Lee said since it is likely a new DEI director would come from a diverse background, it would signal to minority students and families the district is serious about closing achievement or opportunity gaps in the district.

"This is one tangible way we can show we are supporting these efforts," Lee said.

Board president Barbara Herzog said she was convinced the district needed this position. During the 10 years she served on the board, she said boards have frequently talked about equity, and it has not acted to close achievement gaps for students of color, students on free or reduced lunch or students with special needs that could be around 20% to 40% worse than other students, which Herzog called "unacceptable."

Herzog said if the district wants to really say it is a destination district, the board needs to "move the needle" to help students in marginalized groups.

"I feel passionately about this. … We have an obligation to fund this position at this point in time," Herzog said.

Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.