Iowa City schools aim for more diverse staffing

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Iowa City Community School District would set a goal of 15 percent minority staff composition by 2020, under an equity plan to be presented to the school board Tuesday.

The plan also sets goals of reducing racial and gender disparities among students, increasing community engagement, and providing race- and gender-conscious instruction. It now is in draft form and could be voted on by the board in August, said Kingsley Botchway, the district's director of equity and staffing and one of the authors.

About 4 percent of Iowa City administrators and certified staff are minorities this school year, according to Botchway and an accompanying equal employment opportunity and affirmative action report. Certified staff includes teachers, guidance counselors and librarians.

Among support staff - aides, food workers and secretaries, among others - about 11 percent are minorities.

'As you can tell, we're a little off the mark,” Botchway said. Focusing on recruiting and retaining minority candidates, especially those who already have connections to the district, could help increase staff diversity, he said. The district already is working on those efforts, Botchway said.

In terms of gender, 57 percent of Iowa City administrators, 76 percent of certified staff and 75 percent of support staff are female, according to the report. District officials would like to see a 50-50 balance, Botchway said.

The district also has begun working to reduce racial and other disparities in student discipline, Botchway said.

'That's something we're going to put a lot of focus on,” he said, 'because if students are not in class (after being suspended), they're not necessarily receiving the education they need.”

Student discipline, the assignment of students to special education, graduation rates, course taking and educational achievement are identified as areas of disproportionality in the equity plan.

The district will monitor disparities in terms of race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and disability, Botchway said.

The equity plan is similar to one presented to the Cedar Rapids school board earlier this month. It calls for 'equity walks” in Iowa City schools that, like those conducted in Cedar Rapids, allow classroom observers to identify areas of strength and possible improvement in teacher-student interactions.

Also Tuesday, the board will review the latest set of options for new attendance zones in the district, which would take effect after the planned opening of Liberty High School in 2017.

The board also will hear a presentation on possible designs for the new Hoover Elementary School, which is scheduled to open in 2017.