Tim'm West: Leading Locally and Nationally
Tim’m West
Class 1, Lead
What is your Vision for Impact Statement?
The relationship building, courage, and strategic insight to activate broad and diverse coalitions of parents and guardians, student leaders, administrators, teachers, community members, as well as the business community through our LSDMCs (Local School Decision Making Committees), will become critical levers in the efforts to ensure educational equity and great public schools in Cincinnati.
You’re doing so much great work in your community. Tell us about it! What do you love about the work you’re doing?
As Chair of the Chase Elementary School LSDMC, we’re engaging in a deepened relationship with our Lead Agency, the Y, while working to more strategically develop community member engagement to support the school via fundraising and people support. Of special note is our work to leverage both the artist and tech communities in Northside in order to fuel engagement and awareness of ways to support Chase. Importantly, though not required of LSDMCs, we’re exploring adding business partners to our LSDMC, as well as student-elected leaders from the upper grades to report back on student concerns.
Connected to this work as the Chair of Chase’s LSDMC, we are forging connections with LSDMCs at other Cincinnati Public Schools to learn about growing our impact, and offering guidance and consultation to others. We’re also doing important work around gaining clarity about the district’s anti-racism efforts and how our LSDMC can contribute to that work.
How has being a part of School Board School impacted your involvement in this work?
I believe that going through the shared experience of the learning program creates alignment about impact across School Board School classes, and while I’m most proximate to those in my class, I continue to see the impact others are having. I feel there’s a community of trust among other equity-minded leaders who’ve attended School Board School; and, as I lead aligned work nationally, or on local boards, my School Board School experience remains central to my continued education advocacy.
How have you used your School Board School training/learnings in your work?
I’ve been able to discuss the critical importance of school board elections with those I lead in other spaces. For example, I recently supported a candidate in Covington, KY who won, and helped the Cincinnati Black Pride community understand the power of representation of a Black queer folx on school boards. This is especially important given the current anti-”CRT” and anti-LGBTQ legislative environment and the aligned culture wars.
In my DEI consultation and facilitation, many of the examples I use to talk about everything from systemic racism to implicit bias, connect to systems level issues in education. This isn’t to suggest that I didn't have examples before, but School Board School has helped me to think of systems level changes that are needed, rather than just being attentive to specific failures of any one school, teacher, or organization.
How have you tapped into the School Board School community, or how has our network supported you in your work?
In essence, the relationships I’ve formed with School Board School peers give me experts to lean on when I have questions not in my wheelhouse, be that questions about district level decisions, or strategies to improve parent engagement for an LSDMC.
As this group grows, it can be challenging to keep up with all of the leaders, so finding opportunities to engage in programming that brings us together remains critical. I’m especially interested in supporting affinity spaces for LGBTQ+ members and Black male members of School Board School.
What impact are you (and/or your team) having?
I’m entrusted to be a thought leader and guide in various spaces on a myriad of education issues, particularly through my leadership in Cincinnati Black Pride (as founder), Wordplay Cincy (as Board chair), and Chase Elementary’s LSDMC.
How has being a part of School Board School impacted how you think about systems change and/or your role in it?
I have a lot more knowledge and understanding of how school boards work– enough to know that I am likely more effective as an agitator on the outside than by running for school board. If I can help people in Cincinnati become more invested in school board elections and view them with the same level of interest as other offices that have historically seemed more urgent, then I’ve done a good job. Related, if I can support candidates that are working to create equity for all families and kids, we can continue to move closer to becoming a district that can be an example of the excellent schools our students deserve in Ohio and in our country more broadly.
Is there anything else about the work you’re doing that you want to highlight? And/or is there anything else about being part of School Board School that you want to highlight?
Beginning in January, I’ll be leaving the work I’ve led supporting LGBTQ+ students and educators through Teach For America in order to more boldly lead as Executive Director of the LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Given that one of its paired focus areas is Education and Employment, I get to emphasize and activate the importance of LGBTQ+ leaders and our allies in advancing equitable systems that serve ALL students and families. Though I’ll continue to be based in Cincinnati, I’ll get to lead this work in spaces where students are unfortunately impacted by repressive laws and policies that more or less legislate discrimination.
