Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Educator Diversity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RSD 13 lays out educator diversity goals: 5% by 2027–28, 7% by 2028–29
Summary
Superintendent and staff presented a state‑mandated Increasing Educator Diversity Plan: current certified educators from diverse backgrounds are 2.2% (2.8% midyear); district aims for 5% by 2027–28 and 7% by 2028–29 using recruitment partnerships and an Educators Rising grant.
Regional School District 13 staff presented the district’s Increasing Educator Diversity Plan during the Dec. 8 board meeting, describing targets, current baselines and recruitment strategies required by Connecticut’s 2023 legislative directive.
The district reported its certified educator workforce was 2.2% from diverse racial, ethnic or cultural backgrounds for the 2024–25 year and had increased to 2.8% so far this year. The plan sets a target of 5% by the end of the 2027–28 school year and 7% by the end of 2028–29.
Staff described three pillars of the plan: targeted recruitment, equitable hiring and selection, and retention. Recruitment steps include strengthened partnerships with Central Connecticut State University and planned outreach to historically Black colleges and universities and specialized job boards. The district also obtained a Connecticut State Department of Education Educators Rising grant to pilot a “grow‑your‑own” program at Kagan Regional High School; about half of participants in the pilot year were students from diverse backgrounds.
Presenters acknowledged structural challenges: RSD 13 is a small district with relatively few openings and many vacancies arise in specialized areas (special education, world languages), which limits the pool for increasing diversity quickly. Strategies discussed to mitigate that included expanding student‑teaching placements, encouraging paraprofessionals to pursue teacher pathways and periodic targeted postings on paid diversity job boards.
Board members asked about compensation competitiveness and about whether the district’s pay scale was comparable to surrounding districts; the presenter said the district’s salary schedule was generally competitive. The administration plans to update the diversity plan annually and to track hires and retention metrics. The board asked staff to continue cultivating university pipelines and to incorporate the plan’s targets into strategic planning work.
