The ever more racist anti white diversity crowd.

Austin school district addresses need for diverse staff with initiative

AUSTIN — Forty-eight percent of Austin Public Schools' students are students of color, but more than 90 percent of the district's employees are white.
The district hires 30 to 60 teachers every year, but finding qualified non-white teachers has proven difficult, Austin Superintendent of Schools David Krenz said.
"Minnesota has struggled to find teachers of diversity mainly because as a state we did not have a lot of diversity," he said.
To address the disparity, the Austin school district plans to grow its own teachers.
Austin's initiative has two main goals: Find diverse teachers to fill open positions, and provide educational opportunities for students of different backgrounds who are potential first-generation college students.
"The importance lies in the opportunities we will be providing for current staff, non-teaching, who now have an opportunity to further their education and work towards a college degree," Krenz said. "It will benefit our students by providing role models for them as well as a less costly way to attend college and earn their degrees."
The program is set to begin in the 2015-2016 school year. Riverland Community College will offer freshman and sophomore courses at their Austin campus, while Winona State University will provide junior- and senior-level course work at Sumner Elementary School.
The Austin program is based on a model implemented between Winona State University and the Rochester Public Schools. Riverside Elementary School houses the Rochester program and received positive feedback from state and national accreditation agencies, said Bruce Ramsdell, a Teach21 faculty member at Winona State.
"The Austin program is a great example of how our area school districts and the Winona State University College of Education plan to continue to prepare teachers who will meet the needs of 21st century leaders," Ramsdell said.
With luck, the initiative will promote a culturally diverse educational environment for students and create future educators interested in remaining in Minnesota, Krenz said.
"We believe by providing this opportunity locally, we will be able to graduate students of diversity from a quality program who will be able to teach and want to stay in Minnesota," he said.
There are no costs associated with the program other than staff development for teachers working with imbedded students and space provided for the Winona State classrooms.