Pennsbury High School Administrator Takes On Equity & Diversity Role

Weeks after announcing their plan to create a director of equity, diversity, and education, the Pennsbury School Board has appointed a high school assistant principal for the newly-created role.

Dr. Cherrissa Gibson was appointed last week and immediately began the job that will oversee “coordinating and guiding all efforts to define, understand, assess, foster, and cultivate equity among the district’s students, faculty, and staff.”

In June, School Board President T.R. Kannan said the district planned to focus on the issue of equity and diversity in the school system of roughly 10,200 students. Of the student population, about 76 percent are white, 7 percent are Asian, 7 percent are Black, 5 percent are of mixed race, 4 percent are Hispanic/Latino, and .5 percent are American Indian or Pacific Islander.

Students at recent school board meetings have made their voices heard about increase diversity and changing some educational materials to provide better context on historical events and figures.

In her new role, Gibson will take the lead in the areas, according to the district:

• conduct a process to analyze systemic policies and practices to ensure implementation and allocation leading to rigorous academic achievement for all students;
• develop a mission, vision, and action plan that focuses the District’s equity work in a manner that is inclusive, transparent, and measurable;
• work closely with the Directors of Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education in adopting inclusive pedagogies and curricula that include the study of race, gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, and their intersections;
• design and provide professional development that enhances cultural proficiencies for all staff, students, and members of the community;
• facilitate community-based educational opportunities including broad, stakeholder groups;
• collaborate with the Human Resources Department to promote the recruitment, employment, and retention of a workforce reflective of District demographics;
• work with colleges and universities for the placement of student teachers in the Pennsbury schools with a focus on diversity;
• assist educators in creating culturally-supportive learning environments that ensure high expectations for the academic achievement of all students;
• promote extra-curricular activities that focus on equity and diversity for students and encourage student attendance as such activities;
• support the District’s Title IX Coordinator for student/parent inquiries;
• work in collaboration with the Director of Student Services in relation to Act 44 and the completion of the Civil Rights Report;
• participate in the Board Policy Committee in relation to the adoption and implementation of Board Policies that involve equity, diversity, and the prevention of discrimination and
  harassment of students and staff;
• and support Federal program coordination (Title I, II, III, IV) to ensure equitable distribution of appropriate resources.

Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula applauded Gibson’s appointment at the last school board meeting.

“Dr. Gibson truly impressed the interview team with her knowledge, experience, and the well conceived entry plan that she presented,” the superintendent said. “Stakeholders included school directors, central office administrators, and school principals. Their comments afterwards included observations about Dr. Gibson’s clear passion for pursuing and supporting equity and diversity in Pennsbury, her non-judgmental approachability, her depth and breadth of knowledge, and her grasp of the data behind this important work. Dr. Gibson has also led the delivery of professional development related to cultural proficiency here in the school district. As one committee member put it, Dr. Gibson takes a scholarly approach to the work, yet is approachable.”

Gibson came to Pennsbury in 2013 after serving as an assistant principal at Bristol Borough High School.

Under Pennsbury’s 2020-2021 spending plan, officials said there was no budget for creating new positions.

“The position will be funded in year one by a combination of the reduction of one position by attrition in the business office, plus the gap between the value of a handful of retirements and resignations versus their replacement. His recollection of our stance of no new positions in the budget is absolutely correct. We are compiling the savings strategies above from post-adoption attrition,” Pennsbury CFO Christoper Berdnik told LevittownNow.com.

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