Cultural Diversity
It is Bulloch County Schools' goal to be a school system and employer who respects and values different cultures. This cultural diversity can consist of those with various thoughts, beliefs, values, religions, political views, races, ethnicity, sex, veterans status, disabilities, ages, and more. The school system is putting initiatives in place to help ensure the district provides quality resources and effective training programs to employees within the school system to better understand cultural diversity.
Our Key Goals & Objectives
- Define cultural diversity for our school district.
- Host annual employee recruitment fairs and advance the school system's employee recruitment efforts from a cultural diversity perspective. The first of these annual recruitment fairs was held on February 24, 2018.
- Created a state-award winning video in which our students shared their views on diversity. Launched in May of 2018, it is used as a conversation starter and training video for employees. Watch the video on this webpage.
- Conduct trainings that better educate our employees on the topic of cultural diversity and provide the appropriate resources to our employees to be more effective in regards to this topic.
Strategic Objective
“Having a more diverse faculty will make students more successful and show what our community is made of that we can sit down and have these conversations,” Superintendent Charles Wilson
Background: Bulloch County Schools' student population is approximately 47 percent minority, while its certified staff is approximately 14 percent minority. Bulloch County Schools' community-based strategic plan includes an initiative for diversity recruitment.
Strategic Plan Objective: Develop and implement a plan to attract, retain and promote effective employees
The Board of Education formed a Diversity Committee in the fall of 2015. Led by Phillip Tremble, a director of human resources for the district.The committee was made up of two Board of Education members, six local citizens, five school system employees and the superintendent. The committee met six times in 2015-2016. It identified the following: community concerns; barriers to minority recruitment; agencies to assist; and solutions within the committee’s scope. The committee referred its recommendations to the superintendent.
Purpose: Determine what the school system can do, as part of our larger community to increase minority recruitment, with the intent of attracting and hiring qualified minority candidates. The committee was charged by the superintendent to develop a diversity recruitment plan to attract more diverse teachers and applicants. The school system strives to hire the most qualified applicants, but the committee discussed ways to attract more minority applicants for available positions as a way to possibly increase the number of minority faculty from its current level of 14 percent.
Desired Outcomes:
- Identify concerns from the minority community regarding personnel that affects student learning.
- Identify barriers to cultural diversity in Bulloch County Schools and the overall community.
- Identify solutions to these barriers that are within the scope of this committee.
- Make recommendations to the Board of Education (via the superintendent), regarding the solutions identified and developed by this committee, as well as barriers identified in this process that are not part of this committee's scope, that need to be addressed.
- Identify other community groups/agencies that can offer solutions that are outside of the scope of this committee and refer solutions to these groups/agencies to be addressed as part of a larger community solution.
Board Action: At the Board's February 9, 2017, meeting, the superintendent presented a recommended plan of action based on the Diversity Committee's input. The official minutes of that meeting reflect the Board's action on the recommendation:
After review and recommendation by the Superintendent to approve the Minority Recruitment Committee Recommendation, upon motion by Steve Hein, and second by Stuart Tedders, following lengthy discussion, the Board would like to hear from the committee. Upon motion by Glennera Martin, and second by Mike Sparks to postpone to allow a report by the committee at the next meeting and discuss at a future meeting the board unanimously voted to postpone. (8:0) The Chair returned to the first motion for a vote to approve the recommendation. The vote on the first motion failed. (0:8) (Nay - All members)
Board Discussion: The Board has discussed the issue in open session and requested additional data to show how the diversity of Bulloch County Schools' certified faculty base measures in comparison to similar districts in the region, state and nation. The Board continues to discuss the issue. Board meetings are live streamed and the videos archived on our website.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
The Bulloch County Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age or gender. In keeping with the Board’s commitment and the requirements of applicable state and federal laws, the Board, Bulloch County Schools and its employees strive to remove any vestige of discrimination in the following areas: employment; assignment and promotion of personnel; educational services and opportunities offered to students; location and use of facilities; educational materials; and all business transactions conducted by the Board.
Address questions, concerns or complaints relating to the nondiscrimination policies and practices to one of the following officials in c/o Bulloch County Schools, 150 Williams Road, Suite A, Statesboro, GA 30458, (912)212-8500:
Superintendent’s Designated Coordinators
- Alli Baxter, Chief Human Resources Officer, Equal Opportunity Coordinator for employees;
- Kelly Spence, Executive Director of Academic Support, Title IX Coordinator for students;
- Jeff Tysinger, Executive Director of Compliance and Program Evaluation, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator;
- Bethany Gilliam, Director of Career, Technical & Agricultural Education, Equal Opportunity Coordinator; or
- Michael Powell, Federal Programs Director,
- Desiree Yaeger, School Nutrition Director
A Message from our Students
Key Contacts
Allissa (Alli) Baxter
Chief Human Resource Officer and Title IX Coordinator for Employees
912.212.8511
Phillip Tremble
Director of Human Resources
912.212.8510
Diversity Committee
This was the initial Board-appointed Diversity Committee that helped determine and recommend initiatives to the Board for consideration.
Maurice Hill, Board Member
Glennera Martin, Board Member
Charles Wilson, Superintendent
Phillip Tremble, school system
Troy Brown, school system
Dr. Mary Felton, educator
Dr. Torian White, school administrator
Carlos Brown, community
Paulette Chavers, community
Alejandro J. Gallard, community
Betsy Riner, community
Claudia Reyes-Garcia, community
Alexander Smith, community