Kevin A. Roberts
At the beginning of each school year, the Francis Howell School District hosts a kickoff event for its employees, in part to introduce newly hired faculty and staff. “Every year, me and a couple of my African-American colleagues who are in my building, the first thing we do is look,” says Ladonna Johnson, an assistant principal at Central Elementary. “How many of us do we see? And it’s not always a good feeling.”
In 2013, FHSD caught national attention. After announcing that it would take in students from the Normandy School District, which had lost its accreditation, nearly 3,000 parents turned out at a town hall meeting. Many expressed worries that FHSD students might be stabbed, robbed, or offered drugs by displaced Normandy students. Just 7.9 percent of FHSD students are African-American; Normandy’s were majority Black. The meeting ended up the subject of an episode of the radio show This American Life.
Kevin A. Roberts
From left: Devon Thomas,Ladonna Johnson,and Lisa Simpkins
FHSD stopped busing in Normandy kids in 2014. Since then, and especially in the wake of protests against racism and police brutality, many in the district have grappled with the issue of representation. Although 20.4 percent of students identify as nonwhite, only 2 percent of the teaching staff do. Across the state, the proportion of African-American educators more closely aligns with the population. Lisa Simpkins, FHSD’s chief human resources officer, says the desire to erase the rancor behind the infamous Normandy town hall meeting has spurred the district to hire more people of color. “We were worried that people of color who did choose to go into education would see [the town hall meeting] and think, Why would I want to work in a community that doesn’t want me?” she says. Her department has switched to a new online interviewing system, reached out to historically Black colleges and universities, and sponsored such events as The State of Black Educators Symposium and Celebrating Black Educators 2020. The department has also been listening to employees of color about how to improve.
These new measures have made a slight difference. Simpkins says that in 2017, 7 percent of job applicants self-reported as nonwhite. In 2019, that percentage was 8.5 percent. Now, 11 percent of new hires this year will be nonwhite—the most diverse teacher class Simpkins has seen.
One such new hire, Devon Thomas, will be a P.E. teacher at Hollenbeck Middle and Francis Howell Central High this fall. “Growing up in this community, I know what it can be like,” he says. “I just want to be able to give back and help kids who might be going through similar things that I did. [Students of color] seeing teachers who are like them can be very impactful. I know I didn’t see them when I grew up here.” Long term, the district is looking into how to encourage students of color, from elementary school on, to consider education as a profession.
“We’re excited that our efforts are helping,” Simpkins says, “but we know that we still have a lot of work to do.”
Johnson, the assistant principal, echoes that sentiment: “It is a work in progress, but I feel like we’re starting to get more results.”
FAST STATS
A look at the numbers of Black and white educators, in FHSD and all Missouri public schools
Francis Howell School District
2018:
1,745
WHITE EDUCATORS
18
BLACK EDUCATORS
2019:
1,768
WHITE EDUCATORS
19
BLACK EDUCATORS
2020:
1,733
WHITE EDUCATORS
16
BLACK EDUCATORS
All Missouri Public Schools
2018:
29,551
WHITE EDUCATORS
3,392
BLACK EDUCATORS
2019:
29,803
WHITE EDUCATORS
3,457
BLACK EDUCATORS
2020:
30,041
WHITE EDUCATORS
3,496
BLACK EDUCATORS
LEARN MORE
The National Education Association's website, neaedjustice.org/resources, provides resources to help promote racial equality in schools. Available resources include book recommendations, guides for facilitating conversations about race in the classroom and conversations with peers and students, videos with advice for white educators, spotlights on the issues students and educators of color face, and more. There are also student-focused resources available to help explain concepts like systemic racism to younger students.
Books and documentaries can also be a good place to begin educating yourself about racial injustice and how to help. Consider checking out Stamped From the Beginning or How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi—there is also a young-reader version available simply titled Stamped by the same author—A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn or So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. If movies are more your style, consider watching 13th, When They See Us, or I Am Not Your Negro on Netflix or Whose Streets? on Hulu—which is about the Ferguson protests from 2014 and Michael Brown’s death. More documentary and book suggestions are available at neaedjustice.org/resources.
Another good resource to check out is the official Black Lives Matter website. At blacklivesmatter.com/resources, you can find toolkits and resources for conflict resolution, direct action, and healing justice.
