Few apply to join Champaign schools' equity committee

CHAMPAIGN – Only three people have applied to be on a new equity committee for the Champaign school district.

The school district, which is seeking community members to serve on its new Education Equity Excellence Committee, planned to choose between five and 10 residents for the group.

Those interested in serving on the committee have only a few more days to get their applications in. They are due at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Applications are available at the Mellon Administrative Center, 703 S. New St., C., or on the district's Web site at www.champaignschools.org.

Assistant Superintendent Beth Shepperd said she and others are hoping to have many applications come in at the last minute.

"I am surprised" by the number of applicants so far, Shepperd said. "There has been such interest in this committee. We are hoping by next Tuesday we will hear from several people who want to serve."

The district sent home information about the committee with students, sent out a press release, asked a flier to be posted at the public library, put information on its Web site, and sent applications to organizations such as the NAACP and the Ministerial Alliance of Champaign-Urbana, Shepperd said.

The district is seeking a diverse cross-section of the community to serve on the committee. Members of the committee must live within the Champaign school district.

The community members may include parents, representatives of community organizations that address equity or education issues, and individuals who can help achieve the committee's goals.

The school district created the committee as part of its settlement agreement in its consent decree case. The purpose of the committee is to provide a way for the district and the public to communicate, to foster a climate of equal opportunity, and to have a diverse group of community members who will review data in areas such as academic achievement, special education, and attendance, discipline and graduation rates.

Even before the committee was created, it generated controversy.

A number of black community members have expressed concern that it will not adequately address their concerns or give them a voice in equity issues in the district. Two of the most important issues for them were ensuring the black community had sufficient representation on the committee and having the committee meet often enough to accomplish its goals.

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