School District of Beloit Receives Dorothy Height Award

The School District of Beloit received the Dorothy Height Award for Racial Justice in the Workplace Nov. 10 from the YWCA of Rock County. Pictured are Emily Pelz, Executive Director of Student Services; Jamie Merath, Executive Director of Business Services; Angela Moore, Executive Director of YWCA Rock County; Dr. Tom Johnson, Superintendent; Jacqueline Jolly, Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation; Deetra Sallis, Executive Director of Human Resources; and, Rosendo Amor, Assistant Principal, Beloit Memorial High School.

YWCA’s second annual Racial Justice Conference

The School District of Beloit has received the Dorothy Height Award for Racial Justice in the Workplace from YWCA of Rock County.

The award, presented Nov. 10 at the YWCA’s second annual Racial Justice Conference, is named after Civil Rights leader Dorothy Height, for her commitment and leadership in workforce diversity.

“The School District of Beloit has given its attention to ensuring that diversity isn’t a moniker or a word on letterhead, but that it is defined by distinct action,” said Beloit Superintendent Dr. Thomas Johnson.

Johnson made staff diversity a districtwide goal wide after he was appointed to the district’s top job in February 2014. During the 2013-2014 school year minority hiring for all positions in the district was 14 percent. As of Oct. 4, 2016 minority hiring in the School District of Beloit for this school year was at 35 percent.

“The bottom line is that we believe that our faculty and staff should be far more representative of our community and student population,” said Johnson. “We believe it is imperative for students from all backgrounds to see, know, and learn from individuals who share and reflect their diversity.”

The district’s human resources department recruits diverse talent from both within the U.S. and around the world.

Among its achievements, the YWCA cited the district’s “Grow Your Own,” an ongoing scholarship fundraiser which has collected $44,363 to support multicultural students pursuing education as a career.

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