HCEA committee, teachers and students urge HCPSS to boost recruitment and retention of educators of color

Representatives of the Howard County Education Association’s Human and Civil Rights Committee and a series of students, parents and teachers addressed the Board of Education on April 29 to press for a concrete, measured plan to recruit and retain educators of color across the system.

Nikia Darden, a reading specialist who chairs the HCEA Human and Civil Rights Committee, told the board that the committee has repeatedly presented research‑based recommendations since 2023 and that the district’s public diversity materials remain “vague and noncommittal,” lacking specific goals, timelines or measurable outcomes. Darden said HCPSS web links to an educators‑of‑color advisory group were broken and that the district is losing candidates to other counties with more seamless hiring processes.

Yeraja Negans, a sixth‑grade student at Ellicott Mills Middle School, told the board she “feels more comfortable talking to teachers who look like me” and described how having an African American teacher previously made her feel a stronger sense of belonging.

Several speakers with classroom experience described concrete harms they said arise when students do not see teachers who reflect their backgrounds. Paris Muse, a fourth‑grade teacher and HCPSS parent, said her son was repeatedly harmed by an adult’s remark, which prompted her to request a classroom change; she credited Black teachers with providing durable mentorship and advocacy. Matthew Vaughn Smith, a district graduate and parent, cited research indicating that a Black teacher by third grade can raise college‑going rates, and urged the board to expand partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities while improving hiring processes.

The HCEA asked the board to remove barriers in hiring, adopt ongoing anti‑bias and anti‑racism professional learning, restore stronger support systems for educators of color, and publish concrete metrics. Darden said the district’s recent county‑wide professional development on bias was a required response to an Office for Civil Rights finding and “felt like a mandate to check a box” rather than sustained investment.

Board members acknowledged the testimony and discussed next steps. Several trustees said staff training should be mandatory and that central office human resources should work with the HCEA to produce measurable goals and public reporting. The superintendent said a new HR leadership team is developing a strategic plan with measurable outcomes and that central office staff would collaborate with HCEA representatives on implementation and accountability.

Ending: Speakers asked the board to move beyond statements of support to a public plan with measurable targets and predictable accountability; the HCEA representatives said they would follow up by submitting written testimony and data to the board and staff.