Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Staff Retention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines mentorship and retention steps as staff-of-color proportion rises
Summary
Officials told the board the district increased staff of color to 19.2% in 2026, cited a long-running teachers-of-color mentorship program with over 90% conversion to continuing contract for participants, and described grant-funded stipends and other layered supports to sustain recruitment and retention.
Yvonne Schwartzlin and HR staff outlined retention strategies and mentorship programming aimed at increasing diversity and improving teacher retention.
Schwartzlin said the district's percentage of staff of color is up to 19.2% in 2026, "about 5% up from 5 years ago," and described multiple pathways being used to recruit and retain licensed staff of color. She told the board the teachers-of-color mentorship program has operated for more than 10 years and that participants who engage through the probationary period convert to continuing contract at a rate above 90%.
Presenters said mentorship is supported in part by grants that fund mentor stipends and that the district has instructional coaches and site-level supports layered into a broader strategy. They also said a prior full-time new-teacher mentor grant ended and the district is redesigning supports and exploring other grant-funded options.
Board members pressed for detail on participation rates, the relationship between mentorship and retention outcomes, and how supports might be funded going forward. Staff said they would return with more specific metrics and a dedicated August discussion about the new-teacher mentoring model.
