The district has a larger proportion of teachers of color than any district in Colorado. “We are intentional in our efforts to recruit educators who identify as BIPOC.” “DPS is committed to recruiting and retaining a racially diverse workforce that is representative of the students we serve,” the district said in a statement. Over the years, it’s experimented with grow-your-own programs, encouraging high school students of color to become teachers. It’s reaching out to historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-Serving institutions. It’s building partnerships with local and national organizations that represent diverse populations. I know this first hand.”ĭPS maintains having diverse educators is a priority. “There have been many incidents at my school where teachers of color are being pushed out. “For years, BIPOC teachers have been pushed out,” said North High teacher Emely Contreras. Parents, teachers, and students converged at a May 19 school board meeting, asserting that the district isn’t doing enough to recruit and retain BIPOC teachers. Recently, DPS has had a couple of high-profile incidents where educators of color were not asked back. Both used to be teachers and now, they’re trying to return to the classroom. Both just lost their jobs in DPS’s recent cuts to the central office. They notice, however, there aren’t a lot of people of color looking for jobs here.īoth are Black. Shayla Williams and her friend Zuri Hunter survey the room in George Washington High School. They were both seeking elementary school teacher positions at a DPS job fair but stopped to chat with Benicia Mitchell, assistant principal at Denver's Robert F. Jenny Brundin/CPR News Shayla Williams (left) and Zuri Hunter (center) lost their positions as technology support professionals during DPS's recent cuts to central office. The demand for teachers of color in particular is high. The scramble for teachers is intense, with many positions going unfilled for the entire school year. After one of the hardest school years ever, many predicted a stampede of teachers leaving the profession. In addition, pressures on teachers have been mounting. “There’s things like, ‘Where am I going to get my hair done? Where am I going to go to church? What kind of food do you have?’ … Young women who want to get married, are like, ‘If I go out there, is there going to be a young Black man who's interested in me?’” When she did, young Black teacher candidates had cultural questions about Colorado. “I was made to be the face of the Black community, like ‘Oh, can you help us with our Black excellence plan’ … I was asked to be on extra committees for diversity and equity work … When parents are touring schools and they want to know, ‘Do you have a diverse staff?’ I was the first person whose class they’d pop into.”Īngela Faison, who is the dean of culture at DPS’ West Middle School, recalls trying to recruit people from places like Atlanta or Chicago. Some burn out from all the extra duties and support they must bring to schools. There could be bad experiences in one’s own schooling - or workplace discrimination that forces some out of the profession. The reasons are complex – sometimes there are financial barriers to getting a degree or Black students choose a major in college that will pay off student loans more quickly. The shortage of teachers of color is a nationwide one, despite years of efforts to reverse the trend. “Every school that I’ve taught at in my 13-year career, I’ve been the only Black teacher, the only Black teacher … and it’s been super frustrating because the kids want to see people that look like them,” she said.
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There are far fewer teachers of color in other districts where Williams has worked. In fact, 75 percent of DPS students are students of color, yet 70 percent of teachers are white. “But then I got here … I’m like, I don’t know they’re as diverse with staff as you would think,” she said. So later, she was excited to get a job in the much larger Denver Public Schools district, where nearly three-quarters of the students are students of color. Louis after all, and was the first in her family to graduate from high school.Īfter a few years there, she landed a job in Colorado’s Sheridan school district - in Denver’s metro area - where there also weren’t many Black educators. When Shayla Williams took a teaching job in a little town in Kansas, she was one of three Black educators in the entire district.