At the Des Moines Public Schools School Board meeting of February 26, 2008, there was considerable board discussion on what a new committee for looking at an in-district diversity plan should look like. Ultimately, instructions were given to Superintendent Dr. Nancy Sebring to draft a committee concept and return to the board with it. People attending diversity forums earlier in February were asked to submit their names if they were interested in serving. In addition, recommendations were made by board members to utilize ethnic and racial school advisory groups to suggest people and for board members themselves to offer names, in addition to members of the public volunteering themselves directly. The consensus was that the committee should be large and diversified, not only by social and racial qualifiers but also by expertise, e.g., in creating processes and in addressing scholastic needs. Board Member Connie Boesen said she had been at a Head Start meeting recently and people were asking her how they could apply to serve on the committee.
Repeated stress was put upon recognition that the committee would have a long, hard task ahead of it, with considerable time commitment needed. People serving on the committee would be expected to serve on subcommittees and to reach out to the larger community for additional input. The school district would have a liaison to the committee but also make available staff familiar with specific aspects of the district, such as busing. Board Member Ginny Strong recommended that input also be included from those currently in a choice school.
There was concern that the scope, purpose, and function of the committee needs to be clearly defined. The board is willing to give the committee a large slate on which to draw creative designs. Ideas might include redrawing school boundaries, identifying school boundaries by regions, adding choice schools, and addressing transportation issues. A timetable for implementation and the cost to maintain new choice schools or other resources were concerns raised by board members and echoed by others on the board. Sebring said implementation would not be immediate so as to avoid disruption for current students. Boesen said she knew of one person who took a child from the east side of Des Moines to the west side for a Montessori school and suggested that regional Montessori schools might be an idea the committee could consider.
Sebring said she would like to have the committee start working after the district’s spring break. The committee would need to assure equity and quality of choice for students and to consider the structure of out-of-district open enrollment. Board President Dick Murphy suggested that people interested in serving on the committee might want to listen to a tape of the board meeting to understand exactly how much work will be involved and the amount of expectation being placed upon the committee.
If you are interested in serving on the committee, contact Phil Roder in DMPS community relations at (515) 242-7603, 901 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, or at phillip.roeder@dmps.k12.ia.us.
M.R. Field covers the school board for AroundDesMoines.com. 
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