The following is a prepared testimony urging the San Diego Unified School District to implement a community-centered, equitable superintendent hiring process. The testimony was delivered to SDUSD by ACLU-SDIC Policy Associate Savana Doudar on January 26, 2021.
Good Evening Board Members,
My name is Savana Doudar. I am a policy associate for the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties.
We are here to join with the community, including the Association of African American Educators, to urge you to develop and implement a superintendent recruitment and hiring process that centers our shared values of transparency, accountability, equity and community involvement. We also support calls for an independent, third-party search firm to guide this process.
All students deserve a quality, equitable education. But many San Diego Unified School District students face barriers in receiving the same educational opportunities as their peers.
Inequitable funding and lack of adequate services for English Language Learners, low-income students and students with disabilities have resulted in an achievement gap that continues to disproportionately impact Black and Latino students.
The superintendent hiring and decision-making process you implement must focus on identifying a strong leader who is prepared to put these needs of our most impacted students first and is ready to take on systemic problems, such as closing the achievement gap.
Through community involvement and an inclusive hiring process, you will be better equipped to meet this goal.
We join with calls from the communities you serve, to strongly urge you to develop and implement a superintendent hiring process that centers our shared values of transparency, accountability, equity and community involvement.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
