The Santa Barbara Unified School District is looking to spend $66,500 on an anti-Blackness and racial climate assessment and analysis.
The board will vote on the contract with Encino-based Insight Education Group at Tuesday night’s meeting.
“A racial equity audit will assess the effectiveness of SB Unified’s efforts to address the impact of its policies and practices on Black/African-American students and communities of color, and will assess the oversight and response to race-related incidents,” Steve Venz, chief operating officer, wrote in a memo to the board.
The district has requested that the assessment center on anti-Blackness and racial climate in the district.
“Based on the historical experiences of Black families and students in SBUSD, Insight must creatively establish safe spaces and trust with participants to authentically collect data on current perceptions of anti-Blackness and racism in the district,” according to a presentation for the meeting.
According to its proposal, Insight has been leading efforts related to equity, diversity, inclusion and race in schools and districts for several years, and understands the specific needs and opportunities related to teaching and leading diverse students and communities.
“Our 22 years of experience in supporting large-scale, district-wide implementation of improvement initiatives, when coupled with our deep experience as educators and our work on equity, uniquely situates us to serve as an effective and honest partner to Santa Barbara Unified School District,” Insight co-founder Michael Moody said in the company’s proposal.
The assessment involves surveys, interviews, and group talks with identified individuals, all leading to a report by January 2023.
“The racial assessment is of much importance for our students and families,” said board President Rose Munoz. “I participated in the Combating Anti- Blackness Workgroup, and was part of the collaboration between parents, staff and community. We analyzed how to best address the racism and prevent further problems.”
In its 98-page proposal to the district, Insight offered a broader perspective of the situation.
“There is an active discussion on the impacts of equity, diversity, inclusion and racial justice in our society today,” the report states. “But without moving into action, and without finding ways to permanently impact how inequities determine outcomes, we will never see progress.
“Schools and school districts are uniquely situated to impact both educator and student views and actions related to equity. However, without thoughtful planning, clear objectives, and an honest assessment of the current situation, we cannot expect districts to have the impact they desire.”
Earlier this year, the district was criticized by some members of the community over its response to racial slurs and violence directed at Black students. The district, in response to the organization Healing Justice SB, has since moved to address anti-Blackness in schools, and the contract represents the latest effort to make system change.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at 720 Santa Barbara St. in Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
