3/9/2004 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Minutes

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AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING OF MARCH 9, 2004 MASHPEE TOWN HALL Committee Members Present: Jan Strickland, Chairman, Norma Kumin, Gordon Green, Trish Parolski, Myrna Nuey and Marilyn Farren, Affirmation Action Officer/EEO. Meeting convened at 4:30 p.m. Meeting With George Spiyey-Equity/Affirmative Action Officer George Spivey from the Town of Falmouth met with committee members to give an overview of his position as Equity/Affirmative Action Officer. This is a split position (funded (50-50%) by the town government side and the school although most time is being spent in the school. The appointment is a dual appointment. It is a department of one person. An Affirmative Action Officer must confront tough issues (regardless of where the issues lie). The person in this position should understand the culture of the schools, have a legal background and a whole lot of nerve. George gets involved with assisting with interviews for Police, Fire and the School. He reviews all recommendations for hire for Town Departments. With regard to Contract Compliance, it requires records of payroll, site visits and tracking of the percent which should be in the bids. A consulting firm usually handles this. His position requires him to be involved with the Falmouth Housing Authority for affordable housing. Although his position description outlines a written proposal (put together by George), he did say there was a job description. George explained that he identifies students in elementary school, low-income families, students of color. They find out what difficulty students are experiencing. They talk about issues and how they will work on them. They make sure they get academic support. The key is working with the parents, An example, was the English Department, which requires a test to get into the Honors program. Performance of students is taken into consideration. One thing, he did was approach the Cape Verdean Club and got $400 to help students get ready for the test. A Community Clean-Up Program was another activity that George and members of the Affirmative Action Committee helped with. George admitted that it became a little more than what they expected with the clean up. There were washers, dryers, chests of drawers, etc. They coordinated the pick-up of these items with the D.P.W. He talked about the planting of trees coordinated with the Sheriffs Department.