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Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com Equity report presented to board Trisha Walker ■ By Columbia Gorge News HOOD RIVER — Hood River County School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn and department heads Catherine Dalbey, Bill Newton, Anne Carloss and Patricia Ortega-Cooper presented an update on the district’s equity plan at the May 26 board meeting. The update was a way to illustrate to the board “how equity is woven through all different aspects of our orga- nization,” Polkinghorn said. “When we talk about equi- ty, equity really is what hap- pens when student outcomes are no longer predictable by any social, cultural, edu- cational need or economic factor,” he told the board. “That really requires us to get every child what they need to develop fully to their aca- demic and social potential. That requires us then to real- ly look at data and outcomes and be analytical in terms of our approach to our work and identifying practices that are leading to inequity and addressing those. “Sometimes those prac- tices are hard to see and we have to do a lot of self-re- flection and examine our biases and create conditions for students to be successful that maybe weren’t there previously,” he said. “That allows us then to discover and see the gifts that each child brings to our schools and to honor those gifts that they bring.” Polkinghorn said that while equality is about sameness — giving everyone the same thing — equity is about fairness — making sure everyone gets access to the same opportunities. “We must ensure equity before we can enjoy equali- ty,” he said. The board of directors adopted Policy JBB in 2017, which aimed to eliminate “historically predictable achievement disparities.” Dalbey, human resources director, said the goal of her department is for district staff to mirror the diversity and makeup of its students. “That’s also called out in the equity policy that the board has adopted,” she said. “The quote from the policy is, ‘Hire the very best candi- dates in all positions that reflect the diversity of the community that we serve.’ “… We’re really focusing on recruitment and retention; we want to make sure our kids have the best of the best. They deserve that,” Dalbey said. “And with that is mak- ing sure we’re checking our biases at the door as far as hiring practices. We all have our own individual cultures, our own individual back- grounds, and I think people kind of gravitate towards sameness … but we don’t want a team of the same. We want divergent thinking, we want people that have differ- ent perspectives, we want to make sure that we eliminate that bias when we’re trying to make hiring decisions …” Once staff is recruited and hired, then the job becomes retention — and to support staff. On that end, the district has a wellness group and affinity groups. “People do not come to the district to work in a job,” she said. “It’s really a lifestyle, a commitment —there’s a real reason why we do we do and we cannot do the work of the school district without every person and position that we have.” Newton, curriculum and instruction director, said his department is focused on helping teachers meet the needs of diverse learners. One example is the dual language program at Mid Valley Elementary, which is expanding in the fall with grades K-1. “We know research shows dual language is most impactful way for students to learn a first and second language, and we know academically our students achieve at greater speeds when they’re first learning their native language before they transition to their sec- ond language,” Newton said. The AVID program — Advancement Via Individual Determination, an elective college prep class for intend- ed to close the achievement gap — is another example. The program has expanded to include middle and high school students, as well as at Cascade Locks this year. Staff is looking for ways to expand the program to other elementary schools in the future. Carloss, student services department, began her pre- sentation by saying, “I know you’ve heard this before, but I’m going to say it again: We believe that kids do well if they can, not if they want to … We also say that the kids who are struggling the most are trying the hardest. Because if you could do it, you would do it. If you knew how to read, you’d read. “We are totally commit- ted to equitable practices in order to identify the kids who need extra supports,” she said, noting that using data to guide decision-making means the results are more equitable for all students. “One of the things we are constantly looking to do in our school system is, the kids who kind of rise to the top of- ten on the behavioral/social/ emotional side are the kids who are externalizing behav- ior,” she said. “… But we’re also very concerned about the internalizers. We’re trying to develop a refined systems that are equitable to look at the kids who might get lost in the school district … We’re looking at the attendance, behavior and academics because research will show you that if you have, even by third grade, having poor attendance, poor academics and one behavioral incident, your likelihood of dropping out of high school becomes exponentially higher.” One positive outcome of COVID has been the acknowledgment that SEL — Social Emotional Learning — is important. “We under- stand in our department that if you cannot regulate your body and your brain, you cannot access your cortex to learn,” she said. Ortega-Cooper, equity and family partnerships, said her department facilities oppor- tunities for people to gather. “Not to create comfortable spaces — we have been com- fortable for too long, that’s why I think we haven’t made progress,” she said. “We facilitate opportunities for us to get real, to learn how we act in the skin we’re in and to have difficult conversations … In Hood River, we are changing that conversation. I’m very proud of our admin- istrators as well as teachers because we’re talking about rigorous classes, we’re talking about how to create access for students who have the potential but they need this specific support — they don’t need the same. “… I know you’re going to get a lot of criticism because of our stand but I want to urge you, stand with us because we are committed to ensure that Hood River is highlighted because we’re getting to the point of providing ‘excellence for every student every day,’” the district’s motto, she said. Polkinghorn acknowl- edged there is more work to do and the work never ends. He also recognized that some will find the work controversial. “We can open doors for students and put them in more honors and AP classes, but if the conditions in that classroom aren’t created in a way for the students not just to feel welcomed but to be welcomed and be included, that’s not going to be a suc- cessful model,” he said. “We stand behind the work, we stand behind ad- dressing the needs of every single student in our school district systematically, stu- dent by student, so all of our students are successful. I’m don’t know anyone who can criticize that work because that’s the right work to be doing, ensuring success for all of our students,” he said. “Equity is not a thing that we do in our school district, and I’ve said this before — it’s not a thing that we do, it’s how we do our thing,” he said. “It’s interwoven into every aspect of our work. So we’re going to continue to do that work because we believe in the work … absolutely we have work to do. We’re committed to doing it.” Wednesday,June9,2021 D 21 expects to welcome back students full time Kelsie Cowart ■ By Columbia Gorge News documentation verification, and administration staff de- cided to continue set mask THE DALLES — North requirements, with “mask Wasco County School breaks,” as they have since District 21 is planning full the beginning of the year. time, in person instruction Other business included for the upcoming 2021-22 recognizing the high school’s school year. current AP Scholars, it’s “Planning for next year, cheerleaders for winning we are planning on wel- state championships, Track coming students back and Field athletes for their full time for regular, in participation and victories at person instruction,” said the Wilsonville High School Interim-Superintendent Theresa Peters. The Oregon invitational. The board also Department of Education is took the time to recognize gathering input from around both new and retiring staff. Meeting action items the state and is scheduled to release final guidance at the included the unanimous “Ready School Safe Learners passing of Resolution 20-21- Forum” on July 22, Peters 15, a resolution requesting said. The Board of Directors a transfer of appropriation, discussed plans for the moving $204,000 of unused, upcoming 2021-22 school authorized funds from the year at their regular meeting Student Investment Account May 27. into Federal Programs According to Oregon.gov, [grant] to cover part of Ready School Safe Learners the required 25 percent of is a “framework for schools the ESSR III fund, going … that ensures the health towards Summer School and and safety of all students Enrichment Programs. and staff and the families A request to approve they return to each day,” authorization to negotiate put together by the Oregon and approve a Guaranteed Department of Education (ODE) in coordination with Maximum Price contract the Oregon Health Authority with Griffin Construction LLC for the Kurtz Gym (OHA). It is the guidance Seismic Rehabilitation Grant that District 21 has been Capital project, as well as the following for the entirety of motion to add two addi- the 2020-21 school year. A scheduled session for tional projects of replacing school superintendents was windows on the north side planned June 1, to preview of the gym and repairing what is being looked at in the gym’s heating system regard to plans for full-time (neither of which were a part reopening and provide for of the original seismic grant input. project), was also unani- ••• mously approved. The district also reported Other action items includ- that for the remaining weeks ed approving the 2021-22 of the school year, mask re- quirements were to continue School Board meeting unchanged. Due to a clarifi- calendar, as well as adding cation from the Department a clarification statement to of Education, District 21 was May 4 Budget Committee Meeting Minutes, clarifying given the option to adjust the budget committee’s their mask requirements request for additional infor- for vaccinated individuals (student’s, staff, and specta- mation regarding FTE for a tors) but would be required Communication Specialist position in the proposed to follow requirements such as OHA’s vaccination budget document. BED & BREAKFAST • Enjoy One Night Stay • Breakfast • One Hour of Bowling STARTS AT 139 $ SUN – THURS Room Upgrades Available $20 Dining Voucher Up to six people CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA • FUNPLEX 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216 • wildhorseresort.com • Owned and operated by CTUIR 11 Valid June - September 2021 Use Special Offer Code: BOWL to book online wildhorseresort.com