Board of Education Hires Firm to Conduct Anti-Racist Audit

Members of the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously agreed to spend $455,000 to hire an anti-racist audit consultant for one year.

Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium of Bethesda was awarded the contract to review such areas as curriculum, school culture, work force diversity, community engagement and working conditions, explained Monifa McKnight, deputy superintendent during the Nov. 10 BOE meeting.

According to the BOE’s proposal, the anti-racist audit will determine which policies and practices do not create access, opportunities and equitable outcomes for all students in regard to their their academic and social emotional well-being. It also will look into policies that impact the staff.

“This is a very important body of work that we have begun, and we want to continue,” said Superintendent Jack Smith. The audit will “go into offices, departments across schools.”

He reminded the board members, “The audit is not the work. The audit is what is the work that needs to be done. It’s the next step in our equity work.”

School board member Jeanette Dixon called the audit “long overdue.”

$250,000 of the cost will come from the Montgomery County Public Schools Innovation Fund, and $204,600 will come out of the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, McKnight said.

The Bethesda company was one of only two firms to submit proposals.

About Suzanne Pollak

Suzanne is a freelance reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She has over 35 years professional experience writing for newspapers, magazines, non-profit newsletters and the web.

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