DPI will disband equity team after backlash

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will disband its Partnerships and Equitable Practices (PEP) Team less than two months after it was created following sharp criticism from staff, who say it was installed “haphazardly” with no input from stakeholders or people of color who work at the state agency.

Madison365 exclusively reported in November that officials admitted it was an “error” to simply re-assign Director of Teaching and Learning Director Tamara Mouw to lead the new team and two Black women to staff it, even though none had applied for new jobs.

“We made a decision to favor expediency over an equitable search,” Tom McCarthy, executive director of the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said at the time. “And that is an error, and one that we are working with our staff to examine, be honest about and potentially revisit.”...
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Ken Notes: This is not as bad as the title suggests. But this should serve as a lesson for ALL of us -- the FIRST step in your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journey should be to communicate with your current employees.