Superintendent presents educational equity task force report; district highlights recruitment and retention work

Superintendent Doctor Mapp presented the education equity task force report during the Dec. 15 board meeting, focusing on efforts to retain, recruit and build a more diverse workforce.

Mapp said the report centers on “effort 11,” which targets expanding efforts to attract and retain diverse staff in positions that are less diverse. He cautioned that data systems (including Infinite Campus and other HR systems) limit some demographic categories (for example, multiracial is not always captured consistently) and noted ongoing work to remove duplicate records and better align counts.

Key figures Mapp cited: about 15.41% of district staff identify as staff of color overall; certified staff of color were about 12.65%, and support staff of color about 18.6%. He said student population demographics are roughly 78% white and 21–22% students of color. Mapp emphasized retention as a recruitment tool and described action steps: quarterly principal meetings on recruitment/retention, affinity spaces and mentoring for teachers of color, restorative practices training (over 160 staff trained), stay interviews with staff, and a joint diversity recruitment event in January hosted at Webster Groves High School with area districts.

Board members asked about benchmark goals and how the district measures whether recruitment/retention efforts reduce achievement gaps. Mapp said retention is a central metric but that increasing staff of color remains an overall goal; he acknowledged that hiring staff of color alone will not close achievement gaps and pointed to restorative practices and teacher belief in students as complementary work.

The report was informational; no board action was required.