St. Joseph Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Bruce says the district will make working toward educational equity a regular part of its planning well into the future. This week, the board of education approved a resolution confirming the district’s commitment to equity. Bruce tells WSJM News that means making sure all students are served.
“We want to make sure that every student has access, every student has the same access to resources, and every student is allowed to pursue their dream and their goals at all of our schools across the board,” Bruce said.
Bruce says making sure all students from all demographics get the attention they need requires perspective. That’s why St. Joseph Public Schools created the Task Force for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, or TIDE. In addition to including local stakeholders, it includes educators from all over Michigan.
“We’re trying to get a diverse group of people from different perspectives, from different areas in Michigan or different areas of expertise just so as we do this work, we’re looking at it from a 360 perspective.”
Bruce says the St. Joseph and Benton Harbor areas are home to a wide variety of residents who work for companies with a worldwide imprint. He wants the district to meet the needs of all of them. Bruce expects the commitment to equity to guide the district for years into the future.
