Claire Galloway-Jones stepped up to lead the Brookline school district’s Office of Educational Equity in July 2023 at a time when families, staff, and students were losing trust.

The wealthy, coveted district on Boston’s edge faced allegations of repeatedly failing to address incidents of racial bullying and harassment, including a case in which an eighth grader knelt on a Black classmate’s neck, mimicking the murder of George Floyd. Educators of color had a pattern of staying only a few years; from 2021 to 2023, 18 left their positions. The Brookline school district, whose staff declined to comment for this article, has also churned through five superintendents in the last decade.

At the start of the 2024-25 school year, the district announced a projected $8 million budget deficit, and all operations funding for Galloway-Jones’ department was pulled. She sought other sources of funding, including a $25,000 state grant to recruit and retain teachers of color. But she said the district denied the routine request without explanation.

By spring, the school board proposed closing the office altogether, citing budget constraints and saying that the office didn’t provide enough direct student support. Enraged, parents and local organizers raised more than $188,000 in an attempt to save it. But in March 2025, the school board voted 5-4 to shutter the office; all funds raised were returned to donors.

“I’m disappointed,” said Galloway-Jones, whose office had responsibility for supporting students from marginalized backgrounds, recruiting and retaining Black and brown educators, and holding anti-bias trainings, among other work. “And I don’t think that people are being honest and transparent about what’s happening,” she said, adding, “They didn’t value the work because they didn’t understand it.”

The district is one of at least four in Massachusetts that have cut DEI initiatives or positions despite community support, citing shrinking student enrollments and rollbacks in federal funding that threaten school budgets. The Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have also produced a chilling effect, educators say, even as its anti-DEI directives for K-12 schools have been defeated in court.

Some parents, educators and experts say that losing offices and education leaders whose sole job is to advance equity — by reducing racial disparities in academics, school discipline, and staffing — will have both short- and long-term consequences for Black, brown, and low-income students and those with disabilities.

“If students don’t feel a sense of belonging, and if they don’t feel heard and valued, then they are less likely to pursue higher education and career opportunities,” said Jennifer Herring, executive director of the Worcester Education Collaborative, which supports the city’s public schools, and an adjunct professor of psychology and the impact of school trauma in eastern Massachusetts.