Fort Smith Public Schools to address minority representation gap in hiring

Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS) will ramp up efforts to close the minority hiring gap for teachers and administrators, according to FSPS Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Support Services Dr. Annette Henderson.

The district faces a problem common to both public and private employers across the nation – hiring minorities to reflect the populations they serve.

According to numbers supplied by the district to Talk Business & Politics, white teachers and administrators comprised 89% of the overall staff during the 2016-2017 school year despite the fact only 41.81% of the student population identified as such. Blacks were next with 3.26% of staff and 11.28% student population, followed by Hispanics and Latinos (2.61% staff, 33.71% students); Asians (0.42% staff, 5.41% students); Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (0.08% staff, 0.17% students); and American Indian and Alaskan Native (2.1%, 1.14% students). Furthermore, 2.44% of teachers and administrators identified as two or more races versus 6.49% of students.

Over the last five years, the district has hired 68 minority teachers or administrators, making up an average of 11.71% total new hires. For the 2016-2017 school year, FSPS brought on 14 new minority teachers or administrators, or 12.61% of the roughly 111 new hires. This is down from 18 (17.31%) of the 103 hired in the 2012-2013 school year.

From the reporting data available for applicants by race, Dr. Henderson said 45% of applications received were from whites versus 5% each for blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and applicants who identify as two or more races. Approximately 37% chose not to report demographic data.

The FSPS numbers highlight a national disparity illustrated through Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data updated on Feb. 8, 2017, showing African-Americans with an 8.4% unemployment rate compared to 4.3% for whites.

To combat the problem, the district will depend on a minority recruitment committee, continue to monitor the state database for minority graduates, and invest in further career development opportunities.

Some of the major activities moving forward, Dr. Henderson offered, would involve attending various career fairs at common recruitment hubs, such as the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS), University of Central Arkansas (UCA), University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist, and Harding University, as well as institutions like Grambling, Langston, Philander Smith, and Choctaw Nation. FSPS also plans to recruit at an annual event for Arkansas teachers offered by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), and will continue to promote awareness for the problem in general.

Some of the efforts will involve enlisting the district’s human resources department as well as minority staff members in speaking to various groups regarding a career in education and utilizing district and school websites and events to “promote cultural diversity.”

While the minority hiring issue is not exclusive to Fort Smith, it has been prevalent in other local public bodies, such as the city’s police department. Prior to adding a new sworn officer in September 2016, the department had hired only one other African-American since 1995, while not promoting a black officer since 1988. Statistically, this translated to two African-Americans out of around 151 sworn officers — about 1.32% compared to a citywide African-American population of 9% per the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The city’s government at large also has a dearth of minority representation at most levels of government with approximately 50 African-American workers out of about 900 employees, according to April 2016 data provided to the Fort Smith Board of Directors by city administration.

The city’s administration has since moved to address the problem, hiring Fort Smith’s first African-American Police Chief in Nathaniel Clark, who took office Jan. 9.

Similarly to the FSPS approach, Chief Clark said his department needed to “expand its base” to address the issue. “To overcome that, what we do is enhance our recruitment techniques,” Clark told Talk Business & Politics in January. “We utilize social media. We utilize churches. … We go to job fairs. We go to military bases. We go to sororities. We go to fraternities. We reach out to every segment of a community, and we reach out beyond.”