DEI Position Update

Dear Chappaqua Central School District Community, 

At our March 8, 2023 Board of Education meeting, we presented a new structure to support our equity work in the new school year. This recommendation is based on needs voiced by our students, staff, and community, through Insight Education’s Equity Audit, the District’s Student Belonging Survey, responses on our Thought Exchange, and a series of DEI focus groups.

Our commitment to equity is unwavering and this new structure is based on these voiced needs. We have included three faculty positions in the 2023/24 budget to focus exclusively on this work. These positions reflect an intentional shift to place additional staff in the school buildings to increase access for teachers, students, and building administrators. 

Elementary and Secondary Staff Developers: These two individuals will work directly with our teachers on lesson design and instructional coaching, developing culturally competent mindsets and practices. They will be members of the professional development team who will work directly with the central office. Focused work will include training and professional development for staff in SEL, culturally responsive teaching, Universal Design for Learning and anti-racism instructional practices. They will lead the development and revision of curricula based on findings, working toward ensuring representation of a diversity of perspectives, authors and characters; a focus on social justice; and resources for customizing curriculum to meet students’ unique needs and interests. They will also serve as members of our data team charged with disaggregating and analyzing student performance data across subgroups at consistent points across the year. They will support our English language learners by focusing on translation services, access to instructional materials, and connections to new families.

K-12 Counselor: Ms. Tinuke Colpa will continue to support our BIPOC students, faculty and families.  She will work to establish a culture of two-way communication by developing and communicating a transparent process by which all stakeholder voices can be heard and acknowledged. Ms. Colpa will be our parent liaison, oversee our faculty affinity spaces, work closely with our student clubs and organizations, and support the social emotional needs of our students. She will develop stakeholder comfort by holding meetings with CCSD leaders, staff, caregivers and students (particularly students of color, from the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities, etc.), on specific issues relevant to them. Ms. Colpa will also facilitate professional learning for all staff, consult with staff, and work directly with the central office team. She will also oversee a robust induction program to support teachers of color in their first years of teaching. 

For more information, a recording of Insight Education Group’s presentation from the March 8th Board of Education meeting is available below. 

If you have feedback you would like to share with the Board of Education and our administrative team on our DEI structure before we finalize the 2023/24 budget, please share your comments here. 

Sincerely,

Christine Ackerman, PhD
Superintendent of Schools