The Problem With DEI

Fairfax County is a case study in why few people are mourning the death of diversity initiatives.

 

Fairfax County Provides a Perfect D.E.I. Anecdote

The Trump admin's dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies has proved largely uncontroversial so far—the story of Fairfax County, Virginia, could shed light on the lack of backlash. (Fairfax Times)

A case study: Amid a $300 million budget shortfall, a new investigation into Fairfax County’s financials has raised questions about the price tag of diversity and inclusion efforts in one of America’s wealthiest liberal suburbs.

The numbers: The total budget for Fairfax County Public Schools Chief Equity Office clocks in at $5.76 million, according to newly obtained financial documents.

  • Salaries account for $5.33 million, or 92% of the budget.

  • An organization chart for the department shows 56 authorized full-time positions, with 4 current vacancies.

  • 34 employees in the department make more than $100,000 a year, with chief equity officer Nardos King earning $258,641.

The culture: Beyond the hefty price tag, the cultural and academic impacts of the equity office’s initiatives have also raised eyebrows.

  • The department oversaw controversial changes to admissions at prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, replacing merit-based admissions with "holistic" criteria.

  • Since eliminating standardized testing in the name of equity, Thomas Jefferson has fallen from 1st to 14th in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best high schools in the country.

  • Under a policy enforced by the office, FCPS students are assured a minimum score of 50% on all homework they turn in.

  • Equity office initiatives such as "Privilege Bingo" and the distribution of parental materials like "Woke Kindergarten” have also come under fire.

Zoom out: Studies have found DEI initiatives don’t work or are counterproductive.

  • Per an analysis by the left-leaning journalist Kevin Drum, DEI programs and administrative staff at colleges have exploded over the past two decades, but the college enrollment rates of black and Latino students has remained flat.

  • According to the job search website Zippia, nearly 8 in 10 chief diversity officers are white and less than 4% are black.

The latest: A memo issued Friday by the Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to “terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA, and 'environmental justice' offices and positions within sixty days."

Bubba’s Two Cents

Fairfax County is a microcosm for some of the bigger problems that come with DEI.

  1. It doesn’t work or makes things worse (Thomas Jefferson, once the top public high school in the country, crashes in the rankings).

  2. It often feels like a grift (More than 50 high-paid employees in the FCPS equity office at a time when the county is struggling to make its budget).

Another thing is that DEI—with its penchant for inflating budgets and growing administrative head counts—is symptomatic of the bureaucratic bloat that’s bogged down the government and educational and healthcare industries.

Chart:

This explains why no one is really shedding any tears over the apparent death of DEI.

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