Marley Dias is an 11-year-old whose story has
sent the internet haywire – Social media went agog when The Poughkeepsie City
School District board majority agreed to pay Marley $6,500 – She was also paid
some expenses after she was keynote speaker for few hours of services Marley
Dias who is the creator of the popular #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, served as
keynote speaker for district staff and hosted a student workshop during the
Superintendent’s Conference Day on Tuesday, November 8.
The board voted 3-1 to retroactively approve Dias’
consultant agreement at Wednesday’s meeting. Trustee Felicia Watson voted
against the agreement’s ratification and trustee Gregory Charter was absent.
When asked why she voted against the contract, Watson said “$6,500 plus
incidentals … is exorbitant.” Watson said she’s conscientious of her fiscal
responsibility to the district. The decision sparked concern from some parents
and taxpayers in the financially-strapped school district. “I know there were a
number of concerns raised regarding this,” trustee Raymond Duncan said. “But …
we still have a line item (in the annual budget) for the superintendent’s
initiatives. If the superintendent chooses to spend money to bring a speaker in
(within that line item budget), I’m going to (approve it) unless it’s something
I find totally unnecessary. We hire the superintendent to runthe district.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, Superintendent Nicole
Williams said that Dias’ “resume is tremendous … her work is world-renowned,”
and “we should not discriminate because she’s 11 years old.” Dias gave an hour
long speech to staff on Tuesday before leading an hour and half-long workshop
for 50 students. It’s unclear what the district plans on reimbursing her for
travel expenses. Dias, who has led a nationwide literacy initiative, is
“inspiring young
people,” Williams said. “About 90 percent of our students are
below reading level. We have to motivate our scholars to read.”
The girl was professional and presented a focused
approach to motivate teachers and students with a message that was “just as
powerful as any adult’s.” But locals did not
