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DEIB » DEIB Committee Charter

DEIB Committee Charter

Purpose 

San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District’s (SLVUSD) DEIB committee is dedicated to implementing systemic changes that create and foster an inclusive environment. We envision an educational community where all SLVUSD students, staff and families feel safe, seen, appreciated, respected, and included, – not regardless of – but with consideration and appreciation of our differences. 

SLVUSD recognizes and values diversity such as sex, gender-identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship status, age, faith, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic class and also respects personal traits such as life and lived experience, family structure, educational background and communication style that are influenced by their identities and experiences. 

 SLVUSD will ensure students, staff, and families experiences in our system are equitable and   provide the agency our students need to thrive. We aim to create an environment that fosters  independent thinkers who improve the world around them with compassion, empathy and  understanding.

Key Focus Areas and Responsibilities of Our Team 

  1. Identify strategic priorities, goals and timelines
  2. Advance DEIB goals (subcommittee actions)
  3. Communicate initiatives set to the broader community

Membership 

DEIB Committee Coordination 

  • Two co-chairs are responsible for setting meetings, calendar upkeep, establishing meeting agendas, selecting facilitators and minute-takers. 
  • Co-chairs serve a school year term. Toward the end of the term (Spring), the DEIB Committee may request volunteers for the next term’s co-chairs. 
  • If more than two people want to co-chair, everyone can write a brief explanation of why they are interested in the position. The DEIB committee would then do an anonymous vote. Majority votes win.
  • DEIB Committee members may create workgroups to undertake specific tasks. 
  • The role of the co-chairs is to ensure DEIB Committee’s forward progress. 
  • The DEIB committee should consist of 10-20 team members.

Ensuring Multiple Perspectives 

  • C​ommittee membership should reflect a diversity of people taking into consideration factors such as race/ethnicity, nationality, citizenship status, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, size, religious beliefs, and socio-economic status. 
  • We seek connection to all District schools and student ages/grade levels, and welcome participation from larger community groups.
  • In many cases, a single individual may hold multiple characteristics listed above. 
  • If an excess number of interested people apply to be on the DEIB committee, the DEIB Committee will develop a process for member selection (See New Membership Process). 
  • If volunteer participation is insufficient and/or the membership does not effectively represent the diversity noted above, committee co-chairs will develop a process to solicit additional members. 
  • The DEIB Committee will contain SLVUSD Board Trustees, site admin, district admin,  teachers, staff, parents, and community members. 

Membership Terms 

  • Co-chairs serve a minimum of a one-year term and a maximum of a two-year term in that position.
  • To maintain continuity, DEIB Committee members will serve at least a two school-year term (August-May).
  • New members will start in August with the new school year. 
  • Members will be provided opportunities to participate in equity training, as available.
  • Mid-year departures may be filled from a designated waitlist at the discretion of the DEIB Committee. 

New Membership Process 

  • In April, the DEIB Committee will take stock as to who among the current members wishes to rotate off, and solicit for membership interest among the school and wider community by inviting community members to express interest in joining the DEIB Committee for the coming term by submitting an Interest Form; 
  • Interest Form will be reviewed/updated on an annual basis. 
  • The DEIB Committee will use the information collected to select an appropriate number of new members, ensuring balance of representation and diverse perspectives from the above groups.  
    • Process: 
      • Interested parties will write a personal statement
      • DEIB Committee will make their selections after reviewing the statements, via anonymous feedback
  • The DEIB Committee will maintain a waitlist to fill mid-year departures. 
  • Co-chair approval is by a majority anonymous vote.

Onboarding New Members 

  • New members will be provided with onboarding DEIB training. Onboarding activities may include: 
    • reading the 2024 Equity Report done by Inclusion Counts
    • reading the DEIB Committee purpose and charter
    • reading previous meeting agendas and documents 
  • In the August meeting the Committee will facilitate a buddy/mentor system so that new members have someone they can go to with questions, and who will check in with them as needed.

Meeting Protocols 

  • The DEIB Committee meets 8 times a year, approximately monthly. 
  • Meetings should be 90 minutes to ensure time for check-ins, relationship building exercises, educational activities, and business. 
  • Co-chairs will facilitate meetings and can rotate minute-takers. Facilitators may request volunteers in advance to lead a check-in question and/or connector activity. 
  • The committee will center the norms at every meeting. 
  • The agenda and schedule are determined in advance by the co-chairs based on committee priorities. 
  • Once per year, the DEIB Committee will review the following documents and processes: Norms, Charter, Purpose, and Land Acknowledgement.
  • Be prepared to be flexible and adaptive as we grow into these new learnings and can further define our process and structure. 

Team Culture 

Norms and Agreements 

It is within this committed community that we embrace our experiences, to be grounded in the work needed to make an inclusive environment for each student, family, and staff member we serve. Our community acknowledges that our work can be challenging and uncomfortable, but we honor each other by deeply thinking and working with others in a brave environment that is safe for all at all times. It is with this philosophy that we also agree to the following:

  • We will keep the focus on the shared goal (mission/vision) 
  • We create actionable and measurable outcomes
  • We will engage in active listening that is without judgment 
  • We assume positive intentions of our fellow members 
  • We will build a community of trust by upholding confidentiality and acknowledge the biases that we carry
  • We allow space and time for thinking and processing 
  • We allow to hold each other accountable and “call-in” things that need to be addressed with kindness and compassion 
  • We embrace vulnerable and honest communication 
  • We explore and are open to our own biases 
  • We will build and use a common language and values 
  • We will consider other voices that may not be at the table or are silent 

Decision Making 

Working with Leadership to Make Decisions and Promote Transparency

We intend to report out on a biannual basis to the SLVUSD Board of Trustees and the SLVUSD Cabinet  regarding decisions that would benefit from an equity approach/review. This means asking for and offering advice on improving existing programs and policies, as well as developing new ones, specifically using a strong equity filter.  

Communicating Decisions to Staff, Board, and Other Stakeholders 

We will make use of existing channels of communication/data collection: 

  • Informal communication that involves one-on-one or group conversations. We want conversations around equity to arise naturally and become commonplace in our organization. 
  • The DEIB Committee Report twice yearly at regularly scheduled Board meetings.
  • Make time at site staff meetings for in-person updates. 
  • A DEIB tab will be created and maintained on the SLVUSD website.
  • Evaluate annually during charter review/reauthorization, additional ways to extend community communication. 

Accountability and Communication 

DEIB Committee Accountability 

Everyone in the broader SLVUSD community (staff, Board, parents, students, other partners) should have easy and open access to the DEIB Committee through Committee outreach and public Board meetings. In order to maintain transparency and accountability, the DEIB Committee will post meeting agendas on the District website.  The committee will devise a method for the community to submit feedback. We welcome all questions, concerns, complaints, input, and ideas that further SLVUSD’s journey toward equity. 

Holding Ourselves Accountable 

The current DEIB Committee has been acquiring the skills to hold one another accountable. We embrace a “calling in” approach as opposed to “calling out,” whereby, using the Norms, we invite each other to consider a more equitable perspective. We will establish clear expectations of DEIB Committee participation and timelines for commitments we make. We want to see positive impact within the organization and will not allow specific projects and/or issues to drag on without resolution.