Diversity Committee Minutes – September 18, 2002

 

Present

Mia Parker, Maria Brazil, Priscilla Jourden, David Bilides, Carita Polin, Elaine ____, Walter_____, Julia Berg, Irene Haddow (forgive me for not catching a few last names!)

 

If your name is in bold that means you have a task.

 

Budget 

·         We have an increased budget, up from $750 to $1000.  We must either spend or lose it  - there is no carryover.

 

Diversity Bookfair

·         Maria wonders if we want to give a $5 coupon to children who are in the free and reduced lunch program.  Not resolved.

·         We want to support teachers’ book wish list and plan to buy any books that teachers’ want that are not bought by folks in their class.

·         Hours we will staff the book fair: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12-3:30.  Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8:30.  The evening hours coincide with Curriculum Night for elementary parents, as well as one night being the middle school parent board meeting.

·         Debbie Kosman, our staff reading specialist, may speak either Tuesday or Thursday, in the room where the books will be housed.  They will not be in the library, but in Room 214.

·         We need a parent to be in charge of the book fair and coordinating with Ginny and Phyllis of America’s Stir Fry.  Irene will ask Linda or Candace if they are interested.

 

Co-chair positions, minutes and board representation

·         Irene is the elementary board representative, as she is chair of the Diversity committee.  We would like to have co-chair from the middle school to meet with us as a committee and to help represent us at the board meetings.   Julia will write a job description and put it in the next weekly paper.

·         Julia volunteered to be the communication liaison and write minutes, put notices in the weekly papers, write a monthly column in the Fishwrapper and other communication as needed.

 

Parent education event

·         January will be the month we lead Parent Education Night.

 

Volunteer to keep newsletter info up to date

 

Working with staff “courageous Conversations, CRAB as possible resource

·         Mia reported on her experience as a co-facilitator with Dorothy Jacobsen. 

·         The staff will have four more facilitated 2-hour conversations during this school year.

 

Set dates for book club (try to meet in south Seattle ˝ the time)

·         Proposed and accepted that we have our business meeting half an hour before the Book Club meets.

·         Dates are third Wednesdays from 7:00- 8:30 October 16, November 20 and December 18

·         We want to remind people that books are still available in the school library for checkout, and copies will be available for purchase at the Diversity Bookfair.

·         We did not talk about meeting in south Seattle.

 

Other business

·         Proposed that the Communication Liaison keep a binder in the library with current events and issues that relate to diversity.  Julia accepted.

·         David passed around an article dealing with geographic preference in Seattle school assignments.  He is concerned that this will be a further blow to the diversity of our school.  See the notebook in the library for the actual article in the Times on Sept 18.

·          Maria spoke to the history of the formation of this committee.  It was formed in response to a parent comment about not being able to see the gain in diversity.

·         Wouldn’t it be great if the Curriculum Chair, sought by the board, was also a member of the Diversity Committee?

 

Dreams

·         We would like to see undoing institutionalized racism training for our committee

·         We would like to positively impact the curriculum our children are taught around issues of races, class, etc.