Establishing the Equity Subcommittee

The following is a letter to the Belmont community announcing the establishment of the Equity Subcommittee.

Members of the Belmont community, 

Racial inequalities persist in our schools and our town. For years, people in our town have been working to address various aspects of this complex issue. The Belmont School Committee strives to work in partnership with multiple stakeholders to become systematically proactive in creating a fully just and equitable town and school system, rather than continuously reactive to individual events. As the poet Amanda Gorman said in her poem, The Hill We Climb “the norms and notions / of what just is / Isn’t always just-ice.” 

In May 2017, Town Meeting passed a resolution which reaffirms the values of a cohesive community “that welcomes and accepts without prejudice those of all races, religions, and nationalities." That same year, the school administration conducted a climate survey which revealed disparities in learning outcomes for minority racial groups; in response, the administration dedicated resources to further culturally responsive teaching and professional development efforts to address these inequities. 

In August 2020, the Belmont School Committee passed an Anti-Racist resolution in rememberance of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the many others named and unnamed who were senselessly deprived of life, liberty, and justice. In that resolution, the School Committee vowed to deliberately engage in analysis and action to eradicate racism from the Belmont Public Schools. The school committee resolved that Belmont “must guarantee that racist practices are eradicated, and diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded and practiced for our students, families, faculty and staff.” In our work to become an anti-racist institution, we can no longer bear the burden of behavior, systems, or institutions that do not respect the humanity of every student or community member.

The following month, the Belmont School Committee established the Equity Subcommittee as a means to proactively address the inequities in the Belmont Public Schools. The charge of the Equity Subcommittee is to monitor and evaluate the extent to which the Belmont Public Schools are ensuring equity for all students, staff, and community members. Additionally, the Equity subcommittee will recommend changes in policy and procedures to the School Committee and charge the Superintendent with strategically building upon the equity work underway in the district to further equity for all students. Since its establishment, the Equity Subcommittee has initiated the process of an equity audit focused on racial justice within the district. As we continue to pursue an equity audit for the Belmont Public Schools, it will be important for all stakeholders to be in agreement on which aspects of an equity audit we will focus our efforts. 

As members of this community, we recognize the important work of organizations like Belmont Against Racism (BAR), the Human Rights Commission, Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), Belmont Educators of Color and Allies (BECA), and many others that engage in furthering equity in its many forms and employing anti-racist practices within Belmont. We recognize that progress can only happen when groups such as these come together to build upon each other’s work. 

The Equity Subcommittee would like to formally invite members of the Belmont Public Schools and the Town of Belmont to join us in these efforts. If your organization would like to join our work toward becoming a measureably anti-racist institution, we invite you to join our Equity Subcommittee forum, scheduled for February 8, 2020 at 7:00 PM. 

Join us as we further the Belmont Public Schools’ evolution as an anti-racist organization. Please email the subcommittee at sc@belmont.k12.ma.us with any questions or comments. 

Best wishes for growth in the New Year,

Equity Subcommittee 

Belmont Public Schools