For Immediate Release: December 14, 2022

Contact: Jossie Flor Sapunar, [email protected], Gabriela Hernandez, [email protected]

Racial Justice Coalition Demands Racial Equity in Education Board Staff Hiring Practices

Annapolis, MD – On Tuesday, December 14, 2022, at the At-Large Education Policy Committee Town Hall meeting, the Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education (MAREE), a strong coalition of education advocacy, civil rights, and community based organizations, sent a letter to the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) detailing concerns about the absence of racial diversity on the AIB staff.

MAREE Chair sharlimar douglass (she does not capitalize her name) has previously shared concerns about staff hires being exclusively white with Rachel Hise, executive director of the AIB at a board meeting on November 10th. The concerns had also been shared with AIB members and members of the Moore-Miller transition team.

“Right now, there are 10 open positions at the AIB. We want Governor-Elect Moore and his team to commit to working with Ms. Hise to ensure that the hiring practices of the AIB – and of all state agencies – are held to a higher standard of racial equity; specifically that they ensure future hires reflect the majority of student populations in Maryland by hiring and contracting with Black and Brown people,” sharlimar said.

MAREE’s concerns about nepotistic hiring practices were also shared with AIB members and members of the Moore-Miller transition team. MAREE members were present at the Moore-Miller Transition Team’s At-Large Education Policy Committee Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday night. 

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December 13, 2022

CC: AIB Executive Director Rachel Hise, Wes Moore Transition Team

Dear Accountability and Implementation Board Members:

The Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education, a coalition of education advocacy, civil rights, and community-based organizations committed to eliminating racial disparities in Maryland’s education system, has been watching with interest recent hires for the Accountability and Implementation Board’s staff, as the Blueprint implementation continues. We have several concerns requiring your immediate action, with the chief issue being that the current staff of the AIB is not racially diverse: there are no people of color on staff.

With 10 positions left to fill, AIB Executive Director Rachel Hise must prioritize racial equity in her hiring process as well as those selected for consultant roles. We want to ensure that future hires for the staff of the AIB and consultant roles are racially diverse – more specifically that Black and Brown people who share cultural, ethnic, racial and language similarities of the majority student populations in Maryland are filling staff positions and consultant roles of the AIB. We must ensure that Black and Brown students, families, communities, see people who look like them in decision making roles, roles with influence and power. 

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future requires that LEA’s diversify the teacher workforce;  why then is it acceptable that the staff of the AIB is not racially diverse?

MAREE continues to recommend staff and consultants should have:

• Deep knowledge and understanding of Maryland’s racial disparities in outcomes including academic achievement, suspensions/expulsions, graduation, attendance, and in college and careers beyond;
• Deep knowledge and understanding of the root causes behind these disparities and race equitable approaches addressing and eliminating to closing the achievement and opportunity gap; 
• Knowledge of effective policies and practices to attract and retain Black teachers and teachers of color;
• Knowledge about the history and current funding trends for Maryland school districts. Some school districts, mostly those of low-wealth with majority Black and Brown students, have been more underfunded than others, which will affect the ability of these districts to implement Blueprint programs and meet state-adopted standards. 

Actions speak louder than words. Look outside of your network; come to our communities and our organizations. If you want Black and Brown people in this work at this level, come through. 

Sincerely, 

The Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education