Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kevin Gilbert told the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education that the District is making progress implementing the Rutgers Equity Audit recommendations, citing a districtwide multi-tiered system of supports for academic and behavioral intervention, revisions to math placement policies using multiple measures, and professional development focused on equity and “growth mindset.”
Work continues in numerous areas including inclusive curriculum audits, diversifying staff and expanding access to enrichment and advanced courses for underrepresented students, he said. (See full report in the PDF attached below.)
Dr. Kevin Gilbert, on the big screen, presents information on the District’s progress in implementing the Rutgers Equity Audit recommendations for closing the achievement gap.
“When I first arrived here in May of 2022, the entire multi-tiered system support was non-existent. And now to see what we have in place, I think our students are going to benefit from it. I think that our families are going to benefit from it, and we’re going to see our District kind of move in the direction that I believe that the Board has and our community has demanded,” Dr. Gilbert told the board on Thursday, September 25.
Black Parent Workshop President James Davis III also spoke at the meeting, expressing appreciation for the progress on the BPW Settlement, particularly recognizing the work of Dr. Gilbert and Superintendent of Schools Jason Bing, who has been with the District about 15 months, noting that although implementation got off to a slow start and the deadline had to be extended a couple of years ago, it’s now moving forward effectively, with quarterly productive meetings addressing the recommendations.
“I don’t speak at the Board meetings often, and when I do, I’m usually critiquing or some other admonition. But tonight I wanted to thank Mr. Bing face to face in public and Dr. Gilbert, who’s not present, for their work on the Black Parents Workshop Settlement,” he said. “I want to say this: leadership matters, and although we got off to a slow start with the settlement, we are now, I think, in full gear.”
RELATED: 23 Recommendations — And All Rutgers Equity Audit Documents Here
While praising the District is an admittedly unusual role for Davis, “I wanted to say publicly that BPW is satisfied with the progress so far,” he said, adding that he was making a public statement because it is election season and he does not want progress on the settlement “to get put in the crossfire of the candidates because there have been some statements online about the integration plan not going forward or other things like that. And that is far from the actual reality of where we are.”
Black Parents Workshop president James Davis III.
Davis also encouraged more community engagement in the process and the meetings, saying he wanted the public “to hold the District accountable when necessary so that your plan can be implemented for your student. And your student, no matter what color they are, can benefit from the plan because that’s what it’s all about.”
Bing echoed Davis’ sentiments, appreciated the student-centered and collaborative nature of the meetings, and expressed optimism about continued progress.
“Big thanks to James and his colleagues for working with us and making this a process that, to be very honest, we look forward to the meetings because we just get a lot done,” Bing said.
Bing and Gilbert said that the District continues to monitor demographic changes at all the schools and that two schools — Seth Boyden and South Mountain — were initially flagged for significant demographic disparities, but as demographic patterns evolve, a broader focus is needed, adding that Clinton and Delia Bolden are now showing signs of imbalance with Clinton now having the District’s highest percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. And South Mountain now needs (and has) a multi-language class.
“As the board knows, Clinton is now our highest free and reduced lunch school. So as Dr. Gilbert noted, you’re seeing, progressively, changes that are happening,” Bing said. “So that’s why we have to treat this project as a living project, realizing that things are going to change as we move forward.”
Board member Elizabeth Callahan asked about the impact of sibling priority rules on school demographics, particularly at Tuscan. Dr. Gilbert acknowledged that while keeping siblings together limits flexibility, the district monitors its impact closely and looks for ways to balance school populations within the constraints of policy and available space.
Space and transportation are other factors they are “having to work through and figure out in terms of the impact of on the Intentional Integration Initiative.
“These are the factors that we have to wrestle with,” he said, “because the ultimate goal is to have as diverse a school as possible because that lifts up the type of learning experiences that those students have.”
