When it comes to ensuring that equity remains a top priority for leaders as Manteca Unified welcomes an increasing number of students, the district won’t have to look far for a champion for those ideals.
Last week Manteca Unified School Board President Stephen Schluer announced that he has been selected as member of a statewide network of school board members – from between 10 to 12 districts – that will work to ensure that historically and currently underserved students have access to improved opportunities and outcomes as a result of the collaborative approach.
Schluer, who is the district’s delegate for Region 8 of the California School Board Association, will be running unopposed in November for a full four-year term after being appointed to the board and then being elected to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
“CSBA knows that school boards play a key role in setting local education policy, and as such, have an important role in creating conditions within a school district to support student success,” Schluer said. “Vital to those conditions is the ability of district leaders to promote and make decisions through an equity lens. My participation in the network will also inform CSBA as they continue to expand and improve their efforts to support school board members to make equity-based decisions on behalf of the students in all communities.”
Out of the thousands of school board members who represent their constituents across the State of California, Schluer said being one of the roughly one dozen representatives that were selected for this special collaborative effort was “humbling” and that he’s looking forward to seeing how the experience will ultimately benefit students of Manteca Unified moving forward.
The commitment will require a number of in-person and virtual sessions over the course of the next year where issues of equity will be addressed, and practices that can be brought back and implemented within individual districts will be presented.
“CSBA is working in a number of ways to better support school board members in making equity-driven decisions in order to address the various equity and opportunity gaps in the California school system,” Schluer said. “One of CSBA’s efforts is this Equity Network funded by a grant from the Stuart foundation.
“In addition to providing a platform for school board members to engage in dialogue and reflective activities, learning and input from the Equity Network project will inform CSBA.”
All of the costs associated from attending the in-person sessions and the necessary conferences will be paid for by CSBA through a grant, which will cover travel expenses and hotel accommodations that will be reimbursable upon arrival.
Schluer announced his selection to the equity network group during his comments to his colleagues and the public at the conclusion of last week’s business meeting.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@manteabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
