May 27, 2019
EDCAL 3
a publication of acsa’s member services and
member assistance and legal support team
LGBTQ+ networking event:
A safe space to learn and share
ACSA recently held its first Northern
California networking event meant for
LGBTQ+ administrators and allies.
“Everyone needs a community — and
often a ‘like me’ community — to survive
in the working world,” said Steven Bailey,
a retired Ventura USD human resourc-
es administrator. “ACSA is in a unique
position to openly provide that support
through any number of outlets.”
A handful of ACSA members turned
up at the event sponsored by Stifel to share
their leadership journey, discuss the chal-
lenges LGBTQ+ school leaders encoun-
ter daily, and begin to build a supportive
network for each other beyond their own
school sites and districts.
Why is there a need? Unfortunately,
studies show that many barriers for
LGBTQ+ communities still exist. Data
from GLSEN’s National School Climate
Survey says:
• One third of LGBTQ educators feel
their job would be at risk if they were to
come out to colleagues.
• Half of all LGBTQ educators believe
their job would be at risk if they were to
come out to students.
Event attendees echoed these concerns
as they grappled with the ability to bring
their full selves to work, let alone “out”
themselves. LGBTQ+ members often
struggle to talk about their personal rela-
tionships and change the way they dress or
speak in a professional setting in order to
avoid discrimination.
LGBTQ+ leaders who have these fears
and challenges should stay focused on
doing great work, advises Mike Tapia, for-
mer principal of Montalvo Arts Academy
in ACSA Region 13.
“If you regularly demonstrate a strong
work ethic, commitment to your students’
ACSA members share their journey and build community during ACSA’s LGBTQ+ networking event.
success and well-being, and collaborative
attitude, then I think most people will
accept you regardless of your sexual orien-
tation, and at the very least, work with you
on behalf of the students,” said Tapia.
“It is always a good idea to communi-
cate early on with your boss about who you
are, as well,” added Bailey. “You are going
to need support as you let your colleagues
into your sphere. You’ll probably be sur-
prised to discover other LGBTQ staff and
allies at your site or office who you can
count on for support, too.”
Bailey pointed out that, at least in
California, you cannot be fired or dis-
criminated against because of your sexual
orientation.
“This is a powerful piece of knowledge
to carry with you,” Bailey said.
GLSEN’s report also highlights the
negative experiences that LGBTQ+
students experience at middle and high
school levels. The issues range from biased
language from both students and adults
on campus, experiences of harassment
and assault, to lack of supportive school
resources — all of which lead to a hostile
school climate that affects educational out-
comes and psychological well-being.
“It is to help change statistics like
these that ACSA provides a platform for
dialogue and a safe space for members of
marginalized groups to gather,” said ACSA
Executive Director Wes Smith. “When
members can turn to their professional
organization for support and use their sto-
ries to help others learn and build capacity
for inclusive practices, it moves everyone
closer to improving educational outcomes
for all students, especially those marginal-
ized, disenfranchised and disengaged.”
To learn more about ACSA’s other
equity work, please visit our website at
www.acsa.org/equity.
Committed
to supporting
diversity
The following article was submitted by
ACSA Partner4Purpose Stifel.
Stifel is the leading underwriter of
municipal bonds issued by California
K-12 school districts to raise funds for
facility projects. We play a major role in
the planning, preparation, and execution
of bonds sold by local districts to build
new schools or to modernize and repair
existing schools. These financings include
general obligation bonds, special tax bonds,
Certificates of Participation and leases, and
short-term notes. As a bond underwriter,
we serve as the intermediary between the
school districts who seek to borrow money
from investors to fund their facility projects
and the investors who seek to purchase
bonds of California school districts. Our
goal is to help school districts issue bonds
for facilities at the lowest possible borrow-
ing cost.
At Stifel, we are also committed to
promoting a culture of diversity within
our firm. Stifel’s K-12 banking team rep-
resents one of the most experienced and
diverse groups of California bankers in
the industry. Our eight-person banking
team is predominantly female and has
representation from various communities
such as LGBTQ+, African American,
Latino, and Asian American. Additionally,
Stifel is the only municipal bond under-
writer in the country with a female Head
of Municipal Institutional Sales, Trading
and Underwriting. Our firm and our team
strive for a culture of diversity which allows
us to best serve our clients.
Commitment to education
through ACSA
Stifel is a longtime supporter of orga-
nizations that advocate on behalf of school
districts in California. We have been a
supporter of ACSA for more than 20 years,
and have part of the Partner4Purpose
program since 2016. Our commitment to
ACSA reflects our belief in their mission
of providing an equitable, world-class
education for California students through
the development and support of inspired
educational leaders who meet the diverse
needs of all California students.
Promoting diversity
On May 11, 2019, Stifel sponsored the
“LGBTQ+ Networking Event: Learn,
Support & Grow” in Burlingame. The
event was designed to promote awareness
of the struggles LGBTQ+ students face.
The audience consisted of LGBTQ+ edu-
cation leaders and allies and we hope to
continue our work with this community in
order to provide awareness and a forum for
educational professionals across the State.
Stifel has also consistently been a
sponsor of ACSA’s Women in School
Leadership Forum which is designed to
engage, enlighten, empower and connect
women education leaders from across the
country.
See PARTNER, page 6