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OPEN LETTER FROM MAYOR LUNGO-KOEHN: RE-ENVISIONING THE VISION COMMITTEE
by Jackie Piques
Re-envisioning the Vision Committee
Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Mayor
A major goal of my administration is to be as transparent as possible in all that we do within city government and to bring the community’s perspectives into our ongoing work. As part of those efforts, I have been committed from my first few days and weeks in office to bringing all existing boards and commissions up to full staffing levels, and to create new committees and task forces to review and discuss different issues across municipal government. One of my earliest recommendations was to the School Department and School Committee following their search in 2019 for applications for the Medford High School Vision Committee. The Vision Committee will be tasked with assessing both immediate and future needs for the high school building.
After being handed the 41 applications collected before I took office, I reviewed each application individually and came to my decisions and recommendations honestly. I earnestly reviewed each application and ultimately recommended candidates, (some of whom I did not know by name), with varying professional backgrounds that I believed would be helpful in the committee’s discussions. I also selected at least one applicant representing each public school, two school committee members, a city councilor and one school administrator. While I did so honestly, I should have also applied an equity lens to the composition of the committee itself. This, and any committee, should be truly representative of the community and the residents it is designed to serve, particularly in a city and school district where a large percentage of students speak languages other than English, or represent diverse cultures, experience, and needs. Therefore, this week I will formally vote to re-envision this committee in the best interests of our students, staff, and the community as a whole.
During the School Committee’s meeting in February, the full membership voted to address the lack of diversity on the Vision Committee by adding to the existing 15-member committee with a call for new members. Recognizing that this is not the most effective course of action, I hope that the School Committee will join me this week in voting to start fresh with a new application process for a new Vision Committee, including greater outreach efforts to bring together a truly diverse committee with equitable opportunities.
In recent weeks I have been clear that the City of Medford will take action to address racism and institutionalized systems of racism in this community, and that we will do so with a transparent process and by including all residents. Making sure that the Medford High School Vision Committee is truly representative of the students, families, and staff at Medford High is an important place to begin.
Additionally, last week, the Medford Public Schools put out a call for applicants to serve on a Racial Equity Task Force, to specifically address the racial inequity concerns that have been raised by current and former students. The goal of that Task Force is to develop a strategic and coordinated approach to address issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the district. For those community member interesting in reviewing and strategizing about what takes place inside our school buildings, please visit www.mps02155.org for details.
More generally, I am open to feedback and suggestions as to ways to expand community engagement and outreach, from translation and interpretation of materials and meetings, to providing different times and locations for meetings, and any other ideas residents may have. We know that we cannot be truly transparent if we are not engaging all sectors of our community equally. If you have suggestions, please e-mail me at mayor@medford-ma.gov
I truly hope that these committees, and the conversations and decisions that they come to, will help chart the path for more inclusive policies and goals for our entire community, and I look forward to working alongside them in the coming months.
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Jackie Piques | June 24, 2020 at 4:48 pm | Categories: City Alerts | URL: http://www.medfordma.org/?p=17726
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