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A Key Component to Advancement

During what has been a very tumultuous year, we have been so thankful to live in a community that overwhelmingly shares our values in advocating for social justice and equity. Guilford Public Schools (GPS) is working in this direction, and I’m glad to see some line items of support in the proposed budget up for referendum on Tuesday, April 20.

The part-time equity liaison is a key component to our advancement, supporting students and families who identify with marginalized groups, whether via race, gender, ability, and others, and providing critical feedback to our administration so that problem areas can be identified and addressed. A fair and healthy school climate depends on this resource and the resulting feedback loop.

Support for this role has been extremely positive, and it is worth noting that the cost makes up only 0.04 percent of the proposed budget. This program is certainly not a significant cost—on the contrary, one could easily argue that much more should be done—but it is a conservative and necessary step in the right direction.

All of our students need and deserve a school climate that prepares them for the diverse world they will face when they eventually leave Guilford. As the news cycle continues to share news of increased intolerance and hate, the reckoning of #MeToo is still fresh in our minds, and we see the makeup of the country continue to diversify, there are few things that could be more important than equipping our kids with cultural competence, empathy, and self-awareness.

I hope my neighbors will come out in support of this budget and share my enthusiasm for the work GPS is doing to prepare our kids for a more equitable future.

Kristine Ford

Guilford