VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A new report shows Volusia County Schools need to do more when it comes to improving diversity and equity within its district.
The district recently hired a specialist to fill a new role to help bridge those gaps, from increasing girls’ participation in sports to increasing minority students in advanced classes.
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Former Volusia County School Board member Ida Wright is stepping into the role as the district’s diversity and equity specialist.
She said she wants to focus on recruiting, developing and retaining minority teachers and making sure the district reflects its student population.
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Wright said it’s critical to making sure the area is not only competitive in education but job creation.
“We have to make sure we are preparing the next generation of students for the world for which they live,” she said.
Wright is filling the role three weeks after she finished her role on the school board after losing her reelection bid.
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The Volusia United Educators Association issued concerns about Wright’s hiring after they said the position seemed to have been created out of the blue.
“Our concern was the fact that this was a position that came out of nowhere essentially. As I mentioned before we do have folks in our human resource department that are supposed to be dedicated to this work,” said Elizabeth Albert, who working with the union.
The announcement came in a press release the district sent out Saturday.
But Wright said there was nothing fishy about her hiring.
“No I’ve heard that and I welcome the FBI to come and look at all our emails and text messages and phone calls nothing was promised,” she said.
The position is being funded through a federal grant that will pay her $35 an hour, and the district said she will not work more than 20 hours per week.
