BRAINERD — Parents of American Indian students at Brainerd Public Schools continue to look for growth in the district regarding their children’s education.
“We intentionally try to walk into this room keeping our feet well-grounded in our responsibilities walking this earth,” said Govinda Budrow, a member of the district’s American Indian Parent Advisory Committee, to the board Monday, Feb. 14. “Those responsibilities include the teachings of the grandfathers — honesty, love, courage, truth, wisdom, humility and respect.
“When we come, we have heard that some view this as contentious or take our honesty and truth as individual criticism. We always try to walk with the courage and humility to respect and love each other in this process. We are only sitting opposite you because of the way that this system is designed, not because it is oppositional in our hearts and minds.”
We’re not perfect. We’ve got work to do, and it takes time, but we’ll continue to work together.
After thanking Superintendent Laine Larson for all the work she has done to address American Indian education concerns in the district during her six years, the parent group presented her a handmade quilt to symbolize the work that has been done and still needs to be done to ensure the highest quality education for every student.
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“Before Superintendent Larson came to the district, much of the statutory requirements for serving and educating Indigenous students were suppressed,” Budrow said. “... Laine, you cleared the path and supported our voice and autonomy. You helped establish, lead and reinforce some accountability between the district and its Indigenous students, families and communities.”
Despite steps taken, concerns persist. For the fourth year in a row, the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee at Brainerd Public Schools gave the district a vote of nonconcurrence, meaning not enough was done to meet recommendations set the previous year.
Last year’s recommendations were:
- Having structured and meaningful collaboration between the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee and the district,
- Collecting data regarding the achievement gap of American Indian students and their non-Indigenous counterparts,
- Providing professional development centered around American Indian culture for faculty and staff,
- Completing the self-assessment guide from the Office of Indian Education for implementing American Indian education as district administrators and board members,
- Expanding Native American education staff from two part-time positions to a full-time Native education coordinator position with benefits and a part-time Native American student liaison, and
- Updating a policy regarding tobacco use and ceremonial smudging, which involves burning herbs and resins before important events.
In an effort to better support American Indian students, the committee came back with three new recommendations this year and examples of how to accomplish them.
A welcoming environment
Full implementation of a welcoming environment for American Indian students, the committee members said, looks like planned events, classes and services designed around American Indian education and culture, as well as the opportunity for informal school visits from community representatives (tribal leaders, elders, etc.) and parents.
To achieve that welcoming environment, district leaders need to accomplish last year’s recommendations of rewriting policies about the use of traditional medicines and tobacco in schools and of offering regular professional development opportunities centered around American Indian culture for faculty and staff.
Representation
To promote full implementation of representation, the district must provide accurate data on the proportion of American Indian students and staff members in the district and determine if those proportions are what they should be. There should also be an actual recruitment and retention plan for American Indian teacher applications that begins with reviewing the current practices and evaluating their effectiveness.
Information for change
The last recommendation deals with compiling disaggregated data to make accurate analyses of issues among American Indian students like achievement gap, dropout rates and disciplinary rates. Information compiled should be used to make positive change.
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Making a difference
“These recommendations tie together in inter-relationship to a greater picture of meeting the needs of not only Indigenous students but all students,” parent and committee member Kathryn Black Lance said. “Through the pieces of creating a welcoming environment, having representation and using information for positive change, we believe that places us on a good path. … We would like to work side-by-side with you in this work of dismantling systems that do not serve equitability and building systems that advance all of the children.”
The School Board unanimously accepted the vote of nonconcurrence and now has 60 days under state statute to acknowledge the committee’s report and send a response to the new recommendations to the Office of Indian Education. Board members Tom Haglin and Kevin Boyles were not present Monday.
Larson, who said she was uncharacteristically speechless at the committee’s gift of a quilt, thanked the parents for their time and effort and committed to continuing the equity work she started.
“We’re not perfect. We’ve got work to do, and it takes time, but we’ll continue to work together to address that,” Larson said. “I cannot even thank you enough for how beautiful this is, and I will cherish it forever.”
THERESA BOURKE may be reached at
theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com
or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa
.
