The School Committee approved a new post to address the diverse school population.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the creation of a new part-time position to help the district address perceived ongoing issues in adjusting to an ever more diverse student population.

Superintendent Jason "Jake" McCandless said the new "Cultural Competency Coach/Liaison" will perform a range of duties both for the school department and city hall, and both will share in funding the position in some way.

"This is a really good start," said the superintendent of the new part-time, year-round liaison.

McCandless said in contrast to the exhaustive nationwide search the district engaged in last school year to fill several principal vacancies, which was also customized with an eye toward improving the ethnic diversity of district staff, he envisions this position being a local hire.

"I think there's power here in our own community," McCandless told the committee. "I think our best candidate is going to be someone who knows Pittsfield, and knows Pittsfield's kids, and knows Pittsfield's departments. So we'd like to keep the search a Pittsfield-based search."

According to a job description that will be advertised within the next few days, the cultural proficiency coach will be involved in a variety of activities aimed at both improving diversity in the district's recruiting and hiring practices and working with staff, students, and community organizations to improve its cultural competency and to "close the 'cultural gap' in classrooms."

The new liaison will also assist in assessing and revising curriculum and policies to correct "Disparities in performance, discipline and other areas that exist between students of color and their counterparts in the Pittsfield Public Schools."

Such disparities have been a matter of ongoing discussion and an oft-professed priority of the current school superintendent, who first announced his intention to create this new position a month ago. Over the past year, the district has received scathing input from the NAACP and others in the community about what many see as a growing disconnect between its virtually all-white personnel and the increasingly mixed racial makeup of its student population.

The liaison will not work solely for the school district, but will also serve some functions in improving cultural competency in city administration, though these have not yet been clearly defined, nor has it been established what portion of the salary will be paid from the city's side of budget appropriations.

"We haven't worked out the particulars," said Mayor Daniel Bianchi. "But we fully anticipate that the city side will be a portion of that."

"I would like to thank the mayor for being very sensitive to the fact that the investment in our youth pays long, long dividends," added the superintendent.

McCandless said he hopes to have made a hire by Thanksgiving or shortly thereafter.

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