Unity Means More Listening and Less Labeling

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is important when it comes to our schools. There’s no arguing that. And yet… argument is exactly what we’re seeing. I’m troubled that Ms. Susan Poage seems to be purposely misrepresenting new BOE member Kelly Hufnagel’s views on DEI to further the narrative of ‘certain group bad’.

Ms. Hufnagel opened her comments expressing a desire to collaborate, to not have opposing sides, and to meet in the middle. She specified that her two goals in the limited amount of time she will be on the board are 1) collaboration, and 2) using the opportunity with the superintendent search to “take a new turn with the district”. This is the healing and desire to work together that so many have said they want to see. However, because Ms. Hufnagel didn’t offer up the same definition of DEI that the other candidates did, Ms. Poage apparently feels that Ms. Hufnagel is not suitable to be a BOE member.

Ms. Hufnagel spoke of how we recognize our highest achievers. She talked of how it would be nice to find a way to recognize the average student who bumped their grade from a C to a B+, and she mentioned the welding program that has given her son an opportunity to find his area of interest, expressing that it would be great to have ways to offer this kind of interest-finding opportunity for all students. She did not say that other areas of DEI are unimportant. She did not say our students are unsupported by our teachers.

In reading Ms. Poage’s article, she appears to have been okay with Dr. Varley’s tenure, though it wasn’t ideal, because it’s the principals who support the teachers. Many residents and vocal advocates for DEI were supportive of Dr. Varley because of her DEI stance. Is it really better to put up with a terrible superintendent who outwardly promoted DEI while placing all responsibility for it on the building principals (Dr. Varley said this in her own words) than to find a competent superintendent who will focus on education with DEI as a component, rather than the single issue that drives us?

This doesn’t have to be an either/or issue for our district. Let’s show some support for the candidate who has stated their goal is to try and bring a “middle ground” to our district, rather than continue to tear each other down.  

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