To the Editor:

In the article “GCSD proposes $105M budget, includes diversity administrator” in the April 22, 2021 edition of The Enterprise,  I have concerns and questions about the diversity administrator so this public comment is also directed to the GCSD Board for clarification.

The district proposes to allocate $113,800 salary and benefits for a position to develop policies to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and to implement such policies. Apparently this is to fulfill an “expectation” of the Board of Regents.

So I ask: What will be the job duties and scope of services for this position? What will be the measures that will be used to know when or how much diversity, or inclusion, or equity is or are achieved?

It seems that this position may continue as an expense year after year. Is this the plan?

In the natural order of living beings, animal or human, diversity is challenged by the observable fact that birds of a feather flock together; fish swim in schools; cattle move in herds; turkeys in rafters; whales in pods ad infinitum. So it seems that forced diversity and maybe inclusion will be resisted by the students because it is not their natural inclination. So how will policies be implemented?

Furthermore, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in hiring, promoting, and firing. Doesn’t this law take precedence over the Regents’ “expectations” as least as far as staffing goes?

This year of the pandemic has been difficult for everyone including teachers and most profoundly on our young students.  After all, one is only young once so class time missed or denied is gone forever.

Yet the district can apply for all or part of $2.8 million from the American Rescue Plan for the next two summers. Should not summer school be a part of the budget to help our students catch up what they missed?

In a 2018 ranking of schools worldwide, China is number one for reading, math, and science; Hong Kong is next, then Finland while the United States is way down at 26th (source: idpopulation reviews). We must do better.

My final comment is: Over the years, public schools have taken on many responsibilities that, once upon a time, were those of parents. Things like breakfast, lunch, summer feeding perhaps, possibly pre-kindergarten and importantly teaching the social graces of please, thank you, and respect for the property of others.

It seems right that teachers should teach and not need to act as surrogate parents or disciplinarians. We have had PTAs, parent-teacher conferences etc. but has GCSD done much or can it do anything to help or maybe push parents of difficult children to do better at their most important task of being good parents?

Harry Carlson

Altamont