DPS Plan 'Comes To Fruition' As More Teachers Of Color Join The Ranks
By Stan Bush
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Public Schools is touting their new crop of educators as the most diverse group of hires in recent memory.
The district has hired 730 new educators, which is down 13 percent from the previous year, but 30 percent are teachers of color, according to DPS.
"It is exciting to see that our efforts over the past few years to attract more educators of color are coming to fruition," said outgoing DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg. "We have worked very hard to the increase the diversity of our new teachers because we know the importance of teacher diversity for the education of our students."
Nearly two-thirds of the new educators come from other school districts around the country, while the others are working in education for the first time.
"Something I'm excited to be a part of is to have students who maybe don't feel like they have that voice or that understanding of an adult in their life who can say they understand what to do," said Jared Lewis, a new student counselor at Northfield High School. "It's yelling 'We're safe.' However you identify you can go to school and no matter what you wear or how you identify you feel safe and that's one of the most important aspects of going to school."
The new educators are now taking last minute training to prepare for the upcoming school year. Classes at DPS schools start in two weeks.
Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.