MUSD Culture of WE Equity Team

The MUSD Equity Team was established in 2020 to guide, develop, and sustain equity initiatives in order to disrupt racism and improve all school and site systems for our community. The members consist of administrators, teachers, and classified staff that came together with a passion to transform our school district into one that embodies restorative and cultural relevancy. We are always looking for more people who want to grow and engage with stakeholders in our district and community. Join our team!

Vision

Educational equity is at the heart of MUSD's existence. Our Milpitas scholars and staff are a community committed to continually disrupting racism in all aspects of the institution of public education. We will uphold equitable practices to ensure our scholars and staff are free from oppressive barriers and will thrive in their global communities.

Mission

The MUSD Equity Team operates as a transitional, intermediary organization within the structures of the district, actively partnering with all to build the will and skill of the district to actualize educational equity for all of our scholars.
Expose how embedded, systemic white supremacist values in education are both upheld and/or dismantled.
Apply an antiracism lens when reviewing current policies or creating new ones.
Transform systems to create equitable outcomes for all marginalized youth and families.
Cultivate and sustain equity within the MUSD community.
Promote shared accountability in the necessity and urgency of equity and anti-racism.

Connect with us

There are many ways to be a part of this work, with varying levels of time commitment. If you heard about a spotlight that interested you or are passionate about being involved in our team, please let us know using the Google form Email: [email protected]

Our Story: Testimonials

Deanna Sainten, Weller Principal: I am passionate about and driven to dismantle systemic injustices, created and supported by racism, that limit opportunities, access, and freedoms for young people. This is my life’s work and my main motivation for joining our school district’s equity team.
Sarah Mauhay, Weller Teacher: As a white educator, I am committed to lifelong reflection of my own privileges and accompanying biases in order to create culturally responsive and anti-racist spaces for our students. I am committed to lifelong action, and I joined our team to cultivate and sustain equity district wide so that all people can fully participate and reach their fullest potential.
Kelsey Goode, Sinnott Teacher: While considering what the theory of change looks like in our society, I have dived deep into anti-bias, anti-racist work learning that the way we’ve socialized in our white dominated culture is inherently, systemically racist. I commit and recommit to the work of self-examination and anti-racist work, through learning, acting, practicing, and practicing some more.
Recep Iscan, Weller Assistant Principal: Growing up, I noticed early on that I and those closest to me had such varied experiences in the educational spaces we shared, and from there, my view widened. Today, I stand on the shoulders of many justice warriors as I continually learn how the power of the stories that reside within us, when shared in the community, can be the catalyst to unraveling our legacy of racism.
Sandra Quintana, Mental Health Program Manager: As a daughter of an immigrant and also the beneficiary of privilege, it is my core value to learn and grow in order to create an equitable world for our students. My experiences in Special Education and Mental Health further enhance my desire to build the change we want to see to create access, healing, understanding, and justice for all.
Michelle Eacret, Senior Administrative Secretary: As a white person, I wanted to dive deeper into anti-bias and anti-racist work to continue to educate myself and do the deep, personal work of confronting biases and making sure I am not complicit in the white dominated culture. I feel this is important for our students and our community.
Oona Gargan Cadorin, Spangler Elementary 3rd Grade Teacher: I have been involved in the study and practice of equity since a heinous incident occurred at our high school. Naively, I thought that because we were a multicultural collective in Milpitas we were also anti-racist. I know better, and am committed to doing better by noticing my own set of biases and my privilege as a white woman in education. This work will continue forever in my lifetime, and I am grateful for this opportunity to eradicate racist thoughts and behavior through education.
Hanna Asrat, Principal at Burnett Elementary: I am an English-speaking, educated, middle-class, biracial woman of color, a lifelong learner and educator, and the daughter of an immigrant. I have lived my life at the intersection of privilege and oppression, having experienced and witnessed both. I have committed my life and career to dismantling systems of oppression and improving opportunities and outcomes for marginalized communities. I believe we can build richer, more just, and more joyful futures in collaboration and community with one another.
Erika Hammond, Weller Elementary 5 & 6 Grade Teacher: I have been a part of the equity team as of January 2023. As an educator and mother, I find it important to be engaged in understanding my own impact and basis. I care deeply about being an active learner in understanding racism and in being anti-racist. By being a part of the Equity Team, I am excited to continue to deepen my understanding of the work it takes to be a culturally responsive educator for my students and an example of the kind of person I need to be for my children.
Nicole King, Spangler Elementary 3rd Grade Teacher: As someone who grew up in Milpitas, I have a high drive to continue to make our community anti-racist. I am mixed-race Irish Filipino and my looks give me a privilege that others don’t have. My sons are mixed race (African American/Filipino/Irish), and this world does not give them the same privileges I had. I'm continuously working on anti-bias /anti-racist work and committed to growing and learning. I'm excited to be a part of the MUSD Equity team and strengthen my skills for the classroom. My hope is to create a learning environment in MUSD that is living & breathing Equity, Inclusion, & Restorative Justice.
Priti Johari, Executive Director of Learning and Innovation: I am an instructional leader with 20+ years of classroom, site, and district-level experience in education. I am committed to constructing systems that foster liberatory, deeper learning experiences for students in order to open windows, mirrors, and doors to the world around them. My work is deeply rooted in personal and professional reflection so that we continually grow to better align my/our intentions and actions. By joining the equity team I hope to collaborate with a diverse group to eliminate systemic barriers and racism from our school system.

MUSD Board Equity Board Policy:

The Milpitas Unified School District Board of Education is committed to the elimination of systematic disparities based on race, cultural identity, and personal characteristics so that every student can thrive. The pursuit of educational equity requires policies, practices, resources, and staff that are free of racism and dedicated to counteracting the disparate educational outcomes of our most historically and traditionally marginalized students and families. To establish and advance educational equity for all, the district shall be committed to:

Addressing barriers that cultivate opportunity gaps for students, staff, and our community.
Including students, staff, and our community in decision making, ensuring that students’ educational outcomes are neither predicted nor predetermined by race, cultural identity, and personal characteristics.

To learn more about the Board Policy click HERE

Fish bowl→ What does Culture of We mean to you?

Focus for this year: PD Team, Site Reps, Promote Site Capacity (work with leaders), Policy Review