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Richfield staffing snapshot: 672 employees, board pushes for retention data as diversity reporting changes
Summary
The board received a staffing snapshot showing 672 employees (629 FTE), hiring of 40 new teachers (over 70% with master's or higher), and changes to race reporting that affected diversity metrics; directors requested exit-survey/retention analysis to clarify whether lower counts reflect recoding or actual attrition of staff of color.
Human Resources presented the district's annual staffing report to the board on Dec. 1, giving a point-in-time snapshot pulled Oct. 29, 2025.
The report shows 672 employees (629 full-time-equivalent). Teachers numbered 343 employees (339 FTE); paraprofessionals totaled 121 employees (104 FTE). The district recorded an overall change of 4.74 FTE since the prior snapshot: a net decrease in teacher FTE (about 6 FTE) tied to lower projected enrollment, offset in part by increases in paraprofessional support for special education and adjustments to multi-building staff categorization.
HR managers Erica Strand and colleagues said the district hired 40 new teachers this year; more than 70% of those new hires hold a master's degree or higher (up from 63% last year). Of the new hires, 31 had five or more years of prior teaching experience and nine were early-career educators. HR also reported that 144 student teachers are in the early years of their careers, and 201 teachers have five or more years of service in Richfield.
Staff said they changed race/ethnicity reporting this year by adding a multirace category; that change accounts for some year-over-year shifts in the percentage breakdown. HR reported 35% of new teachers identify as teachers of color (an increase) and that 20% of the current teacher workforce identify as teachers of color; overall the teacher workforce was reported at 80.29% white. Board members pressed HR to separate recoding effects from actual retention losses and asked HR to present retention and exit-survey data in a future report so the board can better understand whether employees of color are leaving the district or are being recategorized under the new reporting method.
Directors also noted that several administrators of color had accepted positions in larger districts, which can affect year-to-year diversity measures even as the district seeks to build leadership pipelines. HR said it would review the data and follow up with clarifications on counts, retention and reporting formats.
