Brockton DEI Subcommittee Defers Director Hire, Plans May Decision on Consultants

School Committee · Meeting of March 31, 2026

Brockton's DEI subcommittee defers hiring decision, targets May for consultant-versus-director cost comparison. The School Committee's Diversity, Race, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee met March 31 at Brockton High School to review the district's standing under Massachusetts Acts of 2024, Chapter 238, Section 219, which mandates a DEI officer and recurring bias training for all staff. Superintendent Karangelen told the panel that a director of equity and excellence position remains budgeted but unfilled after multiple posting rounds collapsed because interviewers "were choosing different candidates based on our understanding of what the role should do." The district currently holds a $766,000 Title III grant and applied for an additional immigrant-youth literacy portion the same day as the meeting.

Members, including subcommittee Chair Nelson and member Cheryl Oliver, directed the superintendent to return in May with side-by-side budget figures for a consultant model versus a permanent hire, and floated bringing a formal subcommittee renaming vote to the full School Committee to reduce federal-funding exposure tied to the DEI label.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of March 31, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.