Multiple student groups face inequity in Burlington schools, not just students of color, according to new audit

Simply put: Students from backgrounds of lesser means are consistently falling behind their peers in Burlington classrooms.

The equity audit was a part of the district’s corrective action plan, as ordered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction after the state agency found the district to have a “severe, pervasive and persistent ... racially hostile environment.”

The audit was completed Integrated Comprehensive Systems for Equity. The results of the audit were presented to the school board Monday by co-founders Dr. Colleen Capper and Dr. Elise Frattura.

Regarding the purpose of the audit, Frattura said: “This is about rethinking how can we continue to improve our district across literally all kids in the district.”

Using data from the 2017-2020, the report found gaps among several demographics.

For example: The report revealed that the 36.3% of BASD students who receive free or reduced price lunch, who qualify for the program based on family income, showed a large indicator of education inequalities. Of those students, just 31.5% were considered proficient or advanced in their reading levels while 63.2% were at or below basic reading levels. For students considered to be “Middle or Upper Class,” 60.2% of them were considered proficient or advanced in their reading levels and only 36.5% of them were at or below basic reading levels.

Students receiving free or reduced price lunch were also overrepresented in disciplinary matters. For example, while representing barely more than a third of the total student population, more than three-fourths of all in-school suspensions, 57.4% of out-of-school suspensions and the lone expulsion were given to students receiving free/reduced lunch.

But, this is just a taste of what the 96 page report has to say. Members of the BASD school board received the report just 90 minutes before the brief 30-minute presentation, prompting frustrations.

Reactions mixed

“I am disappointed that an organization such as ICS EQUITY who claims to have over 30+ years experience and a cost to my constituents of $44,000+ would send out a 96 page report 1 hour and 35 minutes prior to our meeting and also only spend 40 minutes total going over said report,” BASD Board member Taylor Wishau said in an email. “How is that professional? How is that providing a service to the board, administration, or community?”

Only two school board members, Rosanne Hahn and Marlo Brown, asked any questions of the presenters from ICS Equity during the meeting, although Barry Schmaling said he had not had enough time to review the documents to have been able to come up with any questions before or during the meeting.

Capper and Fratturra said they would be happy to set up another meeting to answer more questions should the board chose to do so after further review of the report.

For Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism President Laura Bielefeldt, the report was well done and the findings of the report were no surprise.

“ICS Equity did an amazing job of gathering information from 400 plus students, teachers, administrators, and community members. While I was not surprised by their findings, I was surprised by the response of community members in attendance,” Bielefeldt said in an email. “Unfortunately, we have community members who believe equity to be a dirty word. The sighs, laughter, and throwing up of hands from community members running for school board at the mention of DPI was disheartening.”

Bielefeldt said she believes there are members of district administration who want to move the forward district towards a more equitable experience, not only for students of color, but all students.

One statistic that BCDR noted in a Wednesday release was that while 36.3% of the district population receives free and reduced lunch, “only 20.6% were listed as Gifted and Talented. BCDR believes that poverty should not equate with being gifted or talented, and as a result, must revisit the criteria for being GT in the BASD. We are not recommending lowering the entrance requirement, but it should make a conscious effort to broaden the criteria to ensure great proportionality.”

Wishau raised another issue he had with the report, adding in his email “I also find it reprehensible that this organization (ICS EQUITY) listed on page 10 of its report, ‘Yet, 97.4% of staff in the District identify as White and all school board members identify as White.’ Did ICS EQUITY discount the voice of the only and first-ever BLACK board member, Marlo Brown? The man made history last year with his election and here we have an organization that is preaching ‘equity’ and they list him as ‘white’ and fail to include his comments within the report? Absolutely shameful.”

Brown was elected in 2021, after the final school year of data analyzed by ICS Equity.