Englewood Board of Education gets lowest score from group advocating for Black families, but some question group’s methods

The Englewood Board of Education has received an “exodus rating,” the lowest-possible result, from the Green Book Initiative, an evaluation tool that provides “insights into the safety and inclusivity” of the Black community. 

Auon’tai Anderson, CEO of the Center for Advancing Black Excellence in Education, which created and runs the initiative, along with the Epitome of Black Excellence & Partnership, presented the rating to the board during public comments Tuesday night.

“Unfortunately, Englewood school board and superintendent have earned the lowest rating status of any school district we have investigated on our rubric with a score of 1.8,” Anderson said. 

Several people disagreed with or questioned the findings, including school board member Duane Tucker, who questioned the methods of the Green Book Initiative’s scoring, evaluation, and engagement, referencing its rubric and scorecard. 

“All these scores they’ve given us have a very arbitrary feel to me,” Tucker said. “It’s very challenging to evaluate how they’re evaluating us when we have no idea what they’re doing to come up with those scores.”

There are three ratings listed on the Center for Advancing Black Excellence in Education’s website with “exodus” being the lowest, “on notice” in the middle, and “green book schools” being the highest. Boards classified under exodus “demonstrate practices that actively or passively disrupt the leadership of Black board members.”

Also available on the organization’s website is its report on Englewood, which includes an email from Epitome of Black Excellence & Partnership CEO MiDian Holmes informing the district of its score, a response from Board President Katie Wilberding Cross, and a scorecard with the breakdown of the district’s ratings.

Anderson told the board at the meeting that the initiative has been in contact with Black families.

“Now the next phase of this distinction is called ‘Operation Exodus,”’ Anderson said. “Since our last appearance at your school board meeting in April, we have engaged 88 families and 83 of those families we spoke with have elected not to enroll or reenroll in Englewood Schools district this fall.”

Anderson and Holmes said their organizations will support and encourage Black families to abstain from enrolling in the district until the district improves its rating. 

“We are looking forward to supporting you to get out of that status and change directions because we know that this district can not sustain more students leaving because it will lead to larger budgetary impacts,” Anderson said. 

Director of Opportunity, Access and Inclusion Dr. Rana Razzaque later gave a presentation about the district’s efforts for creating equity and inclusion of all students and families in the district. 

Razzaque said in correspondence between the district and the Green Book Initiative that she hasn’t seen what “methodologies, theories or research-based frameworks” were used to create the resource so she couldn’t speak to those elements directly. 

“I think, to me, the most glaring thing is there was no mention of student voice or student experience or empowerment in that rubric, which isn’t only one of my guiding tenants, but it’s also a research-based indicator of equity and belonging in educational environments” Razzaque said. 

The rubric is divided into eight categories which are rated on a 1-5 scale. Those categories include curriculum inclusivity and representation, equity in disciplinary actions, staff and leadership representation, engagement with black families and communities, treatment and involvement of Black school board members (for governance only), policies and practices, support systems and physical environments. 

“What’s written there seems beautiful and aspirational,” Razzaque said. “Do I disagree with any of it? No. I just don’t see the research and the evidence –citations – in there, and it’s aspirational, like a vision statement would be, rather than constructive and actionable, like an actual rubric or an equity audit might be.” 

Holmes, the CEO for Epitome of Black Excellence & Partnership, said the Green Book Initiative is a “categorical refusal to accept the status quo,” an opportunity for “self reflection” and to measure equity in outcomes, rather than intentions. 

On their website, the initiative’s evaluation process is explained and says the process includes “gathering both quantitative data and qualitative feedback through surveys, interviews, and focus groups to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the experiences within the institution.”

“This data is then analyzed against the criteria set forth in the rubric to determine how well the school or district is meeting the needs of its Black community members,” the website reads. 

Anderson said a committee, which determined the scores, reviewed minutes from the last seven months of board meetings and found “a concerning pattern of abuse, mistreatment and a hostile work environment from members of this board to a single member whose only difference is the color of their skin.” 

Davon Williams, the only Black member on the board, didn’t comment on the Green Book Initiative in the May 7 meeting. 

In recent months, Williams has clashed with the board over its denial of a travel reimbursement of $140 in March. Anderson referenced the reimbursement in an April board meeting in which he also introduced the Green Book Initiative. 

The meeting concluded with board members making a unanimous vote to change the board’s public comment policy to allow only those with connections to the district to speak during public comment sessions at meetings. 

Now in effect, the policy would not allow Anderson and Holmes to comment at another meeting unless they were directly connected to the Englewood Schools district or were invited to speak by the board president or superintendent.   

“The following persons are eligible to address the board at a public meeting: residents of the district, or property owners of the district; parents or guardians of students currently enrolled in the district; current and former students of the district; current district staff members; and individuals invited by the Board President or Superintendent to address the board on a designated topic,” the policy reads. 

The changes were made to the board’s policy that outlines meeting requirements such as time limits for speakers and conduct of speakers. 

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