Boston Public Schools faces urgent crisis in hiring and retention of black educators

The Boston School Committee meeting on December 18, 2024, highlighted urgent concerns regarding the hiring and retention of Black educators within Boston Public Schools (BPS). Barbara Fields, representing the Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts, addressed the committee with a call to action, emphasizing the critical decline in Black educators and its implications for student diversity and educational equity.

Fields pointed out that recent reports, including the equity Garrity Educators report, have combined data for Black teachers and guidance counselors, obscuring the true challenges faced by Black educators. She urged the committee to request separate data on Black teachers to better understand the situation. Currently, the report indicates that the percentage of Black teachers in BPS has decreased from 23.1% in 2023 to 22.6% in the latest report.

Additionally, Fields raised alarms about the retention rates of Black administrators, which have dropped significantly from 91.7% in 2021 to 75.6% in 2023. This decline coincides with leadership turnover and allegations of discriminatory practices affecting leaders of color, which have not been adequately addressed by BPS.

Fields concluded her statement by stressing the need for clarity on the causes of Black educator attrition and the importance of immediate action to rectify these issues. The meeting underscored the ongoing challenges in achieving a diverse and supportive educational environment in Boston Public Schools, with calls for more focused data and intervention strategies to support Black educators.