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EAST METRO: Diversity coordinators settling in at schools Page 1 of 2 • TwinCities.corn Posted on Mon, Oct. 21, 2002 ~~~~n EAST METRO: Diversity coordinators settling in at schools BY NATALIE Y. MOORE Pioneer Press People ask Tania Chance why her new diversity coordinator position is needed in White Bear Lake schools when the minority student population hovers around 7 percent. She tries to answer in a global sense. "It's for all students to be competent in this diverse world," Chance said. School districts throughout the East Metro have recently hired diversity coordinators charged with ensuring inclusive curricula and creating a welcoming space for all. Many came on board this year. But some taxpayers are scratching their heads: Why are districts, many of them going to voters hat in hand this fall, spending precious money on a new program, a new employee? The answer, say school officials, is that diversity coordinators are not paid through a district's general fund but rather through earmarked state desegregation dollars. • But even that answer doesn't sit well with some taxpayers. To me, that money the state is spending on this cultural coordinator position could be spent on something else that is much more important," said Bob Kingdon, of Roseville. "I don't think the state or school districts or anybody else should be imposing these phony programs." DIVERSITY MONIES SACRED State law doesn't allow diversity funding to be used to buy more textbooks or to rehire a beloved teacher if a district finds itself in financial straits. "The revenue can only be used for activities that support integrated learning environments," said Barbara Zohn, acting director of the state education department's office of equity. The state doesn't have the power to tell districts how to spend the money, but school officials must prove to the Department of Children, Families and Learning that the funds are used solely for diversity programs. Suburban districts can receive up to $130 per student from the state, depending on the size of their minority student enrollment. Local diversity coordinators have a relationship with the East Metro Integration District, a consortium of St. Paul schools and nine suburban district neighbors. EMID began 13 years ago when urban and suburban kids were brought together in immersion programs as a way to fight segregation. The voluntary collaboration has matured and leaders figured schools • needed to develop strategies within their own districts. The first- and second-ring suburban districts that comprise EMID are vastly different. West St. Paul- http://ww`v.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/4329849. htm?template=co... 10/21 /2002