Markus, a 22-year Long Branch employee who taught for five years before becoming a student advisor/school counselor in 2004, describes his role “as an advocate in service to families and children.” Fully bilingual in Spanish with “passable Portuguese skills,” he prides himself on “building relationships with the community, with families, with students, essentially one at a time.” “His skill set is as diverse as the role we’ve asked him to undertake, and he will need to draw upon all of his experience and skills to be a bridge of understanding and a guardian of DEI,” the superintendent says. He had seen firsthand the work of Markus Rodriguez (no relation), a longtime student advisor at Anastasia Elementary School. The new superintendent didn’t have to search far and wide when selecting the first DEI director. “There is no question that the children and families we serve will benefit from an ever-present and devoted office … that exists to keep our lens focused on diversity, equity and inclusion for all.” “Our community has reflected a diverse tapestry of culture, language and opportunity since I was a child,” says Rodriguez, the first Long Branch native to serve as superintendent in the district’s 170-year history. One of his first initiatives was to reorganize the district’s leadership team to “embrace all facets of diversity, equity and inclusion” and create an office specifically devoted to DEI issues. 1, calls his new job “an honor, a privilege and a sacred trust.” Anastasia Elementary School.Ī New Position in the District Rodriguez, who started Feb. The board narrowed the list to three internal candidates and selected Rodriguez, who was serving as principal at Amerigo A. Michael Salvatore, who had been superintendent since 2011, resigned in December 2020 after he was named senior vice president for administration at Kean University. Almost one-fourth (23.9 %) are English language learners.Īs the board discussed how to dive more deeply into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues, the district had to look for a new leader. Today, 55% of Long Branch’s students are Hispanic-Latino, 25.5% are white, and 16% are African American. Over the past two decades, Long Branch has seen significant growth among students whose first language is Spanish and Portuguese. One of the 31 SDA districts (former Abbott districts) in the state, with four of five students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, it is one of only a few in the nation that has an Academy of Social Justice within its high school. Long Branch, a low-income minority majority district, is no stranger to “the hard conversations” around racial and social justice, Superintendent Francisco Rodriguez says. Everyone struggled to make sense of what was happening nationally and how it was impacting our district.” “It was a highly sensitive time fueled by the impact of seeing our nation struggle with discrimination and racism,” says Tasha Youngblood Brown, president of the board of education for the 5,800-student shore district in Monmouth County. And in the middle of this turmoil, the board also had to do a midyear search for a superintendent. Like other districts across the nation, Long Branch Public Schools found itself forced to deal with the twin forces of racial and social justice protests and a pandemic that further exposed the inequities students of color face daily. New Jersey School Boards Association Login Search Menu
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