The purpose of the trip was to get members of our leadership team on the same page with a shared experience and common understanding about issues of discrimination and systemic racism. District leaders who made the trip included Ulster BOCES Deputy Superintendent Jonah Schenker, his predecessor Charles Khoury, the president of the teachers union, the president of our employees union, an officer of our teaching assistants and aides association, two principals, a leader from our instructional services team, and one teacher, who is also a member of the DEI committee.
Here’s what I learned from my experience in Montgomery, and how it’s informing our initiatives to build DEI culture.