JCPS works to recruit more male, minority teachers

In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, teachers and staff from Jefferson City Public Schools trek to the high school football field for a JCPS employee group photograph.
In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, teachers and staff from Jefferson City Public Schools trek to the high school football field for a JCPS employee group photograph.

Across the nation, school districts are searching for diverse staff to better represent the makeup of their student body.

Jefferson City Public Schools went through its 2016-17 staff report at the Monday school board meeting, which revealed the majority of staff members are white and female - not dissimilar to the rest of the nation.

Of the total staff, 7.13 percent are minorities, but the student minority population represents 35.49 percent of the district. The male staff makeup is 24.23 percent, while the student body is 51.29 percent male.

The Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce's 2015 report shows 50.6 percent of Cole County residents are male and 16.3 percent are minorities.

"Public education as a whole has been under attack nationwide," said Ashley Woods, interim human resources director at JCPS. "When you couple this with a minority teacher shortage nationwide, it really affects and impacts recruitment across the board. While communities have grown to be more diverse, the teacher staff has done the exact opposite."

Nationally, the figures for minority teachers are much higher than the district or state level at 18 percent, Woods said.

Missouri's statewide minority teacher numbers typically hover around 5 percent, said Paul Katnik, assistant commissioner for educator quality at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

In 2015, 6.5 percent were minorities, and males made up 21.4 percent of teaching staff, according to DESE teacher recruitment and retention data.

DESE is compiling updated figures for 2016, which should be released soon, Katnik said.

"It's important to expose children to a diverse staff," Woods said. "Educators who essentially look like them share similar cultural experiences and can serve as role models to the students."

Woods and Katnick both said it's important for students to have teachers they can relate to.

"There's more power from a group that's diverse," Katnik said. "More diversity in schools means there's more divergent thinking that comes together and more possibilities."

Recruiting more people into education starts in high school, when students are connecting with their teachers and thinking they may want to follow in their teachers' footsteps, Katnik said.

That idea is part of the state's Grow Your Own campaign. The premise is schools have to create connections with their students and inspire them to become teachers at the district they attended.

To bolster student interest, the campaign recommends schools offer job-shadow activities or career days about what it takes to be a teacher, host career fairs featuring a diverse teacher workforce, provide introductions to education elective courses, and take advantage of A+ Program students as tutors to see their potential as a teacher.

Woods said the JCPS district is re-evaluating its recruitment plan. Some institutions are going into college classrooms and talking to students about why they should work for their school. Others are offering scholarships.

Woods said conversations about how JCPS can more effectively recruit teachers are ongoing. In the past, the district has held its own career fair, and district officials will continue attending career fairs to find the best and brightest candidates.

"It's really just getting out there and being visible to candidates," she said, "why Jefferson City is the ideal place to come to and what we have to offer. We're still hiring the best candidate for the position."

Making the school district and community a united front will also help. Creating a better workplace culture is a priority for the district, Woods said, and that should attract more candidates.

So far this year, JCPS has received 74 requests from student-teachers to complete their practicum at the district, Woods said. The majority of those students are from Lincoln University, and district officials are hopeful those students will want to return to JCPS as professional teachers.