Boston Schools Work To Attract Minority Faculty Members

BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools has started a marketing campaign that includes ads in education publications and a new website to try to bring the number of minority teachers up to the minimum 25-percent mandated by a 1970's court order.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports

Boston Public Schools Spokesman Brian Ballou says retirements have accounted for much of the recent loss. He says the schools believe they can reverse it.

"There is a lot of competition, but we believe that Boston Public Schools is a very desirable district to work in. With our new teacher hiring initiatives, we think that we can go after and attract and hire the best teachers out there."

The minority student population in Boston Public Schools is close to 90-percent, but only about a fifth of the teachers are minority. Ballou says the department realizes that a more diverse faculty will benefit the students.

"It will improve the academic achievements of students because they are seeing educators who share some of the backgrounds and who bring another level of diversity to the classroom" he said.

The teacher turnover rate is reportedly 10-percent a year, enough to allow for a correction in the minority ranks in a relatively short period of time, according to Ballou.