Somerset County Board of Education member Troy Brittingham, Jr. (District 4) made a racist statement at a school board meeting back in June of 2023. Brittingham suggested his ideal method for hiring teachers, and he explained that it's best to pair students with teachers that look like them.
We are a minority-majority school system, and the teachers and staff don't look like that.
When we ask for that, it's not that we're pushing the hiring of minority teachers. There's tons of research out there that students perform better with teachers that look like them.
Brittingham's racial bias in hiring and segregation can be heard in the video below:
Somerset County Board of Education has non-discrimination policies and statements, which contradict Brittingham's statement and role, which the elected seat should be impartial.
If Brittingham's suggested racial hiring practices were implemented, that would mean that he would prefer to pair a black child with a black teacher, a hispanic child with a hispanic teacher, or a white child with a white teacher. Under his logic, a black child would not learn as well having a white teacher, and a white child would not learn as well having a black or hispanic teacher. That's racist.
Brittingham is also a Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Chair for a local news station.
What is Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)?
The DPTC reached out to Brittingham regarding his comment and asked for the research he was referring to support segregated pairing in the classroom. The DPTC did not receive a reply.
We want a healthy learning environment that's free from discrimination for all students and teachers regardless of their skin color or culture, which all should experience in the community. As far as the quality of teachers, you're either good at teaching or bad at teaching. Placing a systematic preference on race before qualifications will only bring harm and division to Somerset County.
Fellows & Editors
October 26, 2024
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