Minnesota School District Wants Assistant Superintendent Who Can ‘Examine Presence of Whiteness’
The St. Louis Park Public Schools in Minnesota is in the process of hiring a new assistant superintendent.
They are looking for a candidate who can “actively listen for both spoken and unspoken racial concerns” and “examine the presence and role of ‘Whiteness’ in systems and structures.”
They must also be “open to feedback regarding their own racial blind spots” and “seek multiple racial perspectives” while also “foster joy” and “cultivate a culture of accountability for systemic racial equity transformation.”
St. Louis Park Public Schools, in its job posting for Assistant Superintendent, lists the following applicant requirements:
1. Ability to examine the presence and role of whiteness.
2. Be an “Antiracist.”
3. Be “racially conscious.” pic.twitter.com/cR9Yf6yosk— Chalkboard Heresy (@CBHeresy) March 27, 2024
Alpha News notes that the position has an annual salary between $134,141 and $201,212 and will have “a significant influence in how the school district operates” as part of the superintendent’s leadership team.
However, the job description indicates that the role will have a very particular focus. The first sentence of the position’s summary says, “the Assistant Superintendent proactively supports the Superintendent to create and communicate anti-racist structures and systems, works to interrupt systems of oppression, and serves as a role model for culturally relevant pedagogy.”
The school district continues its summary of the position by saying the assistant superintendent must be “unwaveringly committed to anti-racist actions and use data to adapt and sustain their efforts towards racial equity to plan, direct, and coordinate action to achieve the mission and strategic objectives.”
As a matter of fact, words such as “anti-racist,” “racial equity,” and other related phrases appear in the job description over a dozen times.
The job description uses words like “anti-racist” over a dozen times.
Meanwhile…
only 34% of high school students in St. Louis Park public schools are proficient in math. About 58% of high school students are proficient in reading. Despite this, the school district graduates… https://t.co/gMQjIR0Yrs— Julie “Florida Woman” Barrett (@juliecbarrett) March 26, 2024
