top of page

Superintendent Scott Menzel shares his thoughts on white people, meritocracy and social justice. 

Enjoy this article which is no longer available at Tourchlight Media.

Subscribe to our newsletter for future updates:

Thanks for submitting!

Wix - menzel 1.png

    "...one of our core values is "equity, inclusion and social justice ..."
    - Scott Menzel

    Wix - Menzel 2.png

      "You can see the stark inequities ..."
      - Scott Menzel

      ​

      wix - menzel 3.png

        "...by adopting the Educational Equity policy, ... not only for policy, but funding decisions as well ... we're going to hold ourselves accountable for the ways in which we're disrupting and dismantling systems ..."
        - Scott Menzel

        Wix - Menzel 4.png

          "...the board has allocated funding for EISJ [Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice] work, roughly $100,000 per year ..."
          - Scott Menzel

          Wix - menzel 5.png

            "...and the training we're providing is causing our employees, especially our employees who identify as white ..."
            - Scott Menzel

            Wix - menzel 6.png

              "...the reemergence of the white supremacist subculture ... it always was there under the surface, it's the very fabric of the way this country was established..."
              - Scott Menzel

              Wix - menzel 7.png

                "...it gives you the opportunity to dismantle, disrupt, and then recreate something that's socially just and more equitable."
                - Scott Menzel

                Wix - Menzel 8.png

                  "...because I had that advantage in this country, I have an additional burden and obligation to dismantle."
                  - Scott Menzel

                  Wix - Menzel 9.png

                    "I did have someone tell me as I was going on about dismantling and disrupting systems, she said, "Scott, be careful, there are children in these school buildings."
                    - Scott Menzel

                    Wix - menzel 10.png

                      "...because that's a white dominant-cultural norm ... we study everything to death."
                      - Scott Menzel

                      "And sometimes we're going to screw it up, so let's learn from it, and pick ourselves up and continue on the road to justice, because the thing we can't do is not act." 

                      - Scott Menzel

                      wix - menzel 11.png

                        "But white people have racial identity as well, and in fact problematic racial identity that we typically avoid. ..."
                        - Scott Menzel

                        wix - menzel 12.png

                          "To me it starts with school boards and policy, because everything flows from that. Superintendents that ignore board policy get fired."
                          - Scott Menzel

                          wix - menzel 13.png

                            "...white people need to feel comfortable, and quite frankly we shouldn't feel comfortable, we should feel really, really uncomforable. "
                            - Scott Menzel

                            "In this country it's about                             meritocracy. Pull up yourself by your bootstraps, everybody has the same opportunity.
                            And it's a lie."
                            -Scott Menzel

                            wix - menzel 14.png
                              wix - menzel 15.png
                                wix - menzel 16.png
                                  bottom of page