This morning I submitted a GRAMA request to the superintendent asking for copies of the school district’s Equity Audits. I had asked for these two weeks ago with negative results:
16 June 2014
DELIVERED VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
Mr. McKell Withers Salt Lake City School District 440 East 100 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84111-1891
Re: GRAMA REQUEST: Equity Audits & Climate Surveys
Dear Mr. Withers,
On June 3, 2014, the school board was asked to vote on the Utah Consolidated Application (UCA) for 2014-2015. Section 1.4.4 of the UCA states:
“Conduct equity audits of various district programs and practices… Develop and administer culture and climate surveys in schools”
Prior to the meeting and at the meeting, I requested copies of the Equity Audits to date. Two weeks later, none have been provided to me. Therefore, pursuant to Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA), Utah Code §63g-2-204:
I am requesting a copy of all Equity Audits and Climate Surveys that have been conducted in the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
I believe that releasing this information is also in keeping with Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act:
“In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the state, its agencies and political subdivisions, exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly” (see Utah code §52-4-101).
Utah Code §63g-2-203(4) encourages agencies to fulfill a records request without charge. Based on Utah Code §63g -2-203 (4a), I am requesting a waiver of copy costs because releasing the records primarily benefits the public rather than a person. Furthermore, based on Utah Code §63g -2-203 (4c) my “legal rights are directly implicated by the information in the record” as I am an elected member of the Salt Lake City Board of Education (see Utah Code §53A-3-402).
Respectfully,
J. Michael Clára Board Member, District 2
On June 3, 2014, the school board was asked to approve the 2014-15 Utah Consolidated Application for the school district.
One of the sections of that application states the school district:
“conduct[‘s] Equity Audits of various programs and practices”
This same language is in prior year’s plans. Link to Board Meeting Video
WHAT ARE EQUITY AUDITS?
The Equity Audit is a tool with remarkable power to identify, analyze, and evaluate a given school districts’ quality control. The purposes of Equity Audits are to look at student outcomes across multiple achievement indicators. Disaggregate the achievement data by gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. In its most pure form, Equity Audits are data collection activity that spans all areas/facets of a school or district environment.
Equity Audits are an analysis of the body of data collected to identify areas for improvement. When multiple weaknesses are identified, a school district then prioritizes and makes decisions (based on personal ethics, school/district goals, available resources, etc.) about which areas to target for improvement plans.
Click here to view a powerpoint that outlines the audits and their purpose
This is a more in-depth video/slide explanation of Equity Audits:
Social Justice Equity Audits by the Southern Poverty Law Center