By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-950432.mp3
Paducah, KY – According to the Kentucky Department of Education, 93 percent of teachers in the public school system in 2010 were white. Nationally, the number is lower, but not by much. The majority of Kentucky residents are also white, but that's changing. African-Americans make up eight percent of the state's population. But African-Americans make up thirteen percent of the public school population. At Paducah Independent Schools, white students are the minority. Kentucky requires schools seek to balance teacher diversity to student population diversity. As Angela Hatton reports, hiring and keeping African-American teachers is a challenge Paducah school officials are trying to overcome.
Zella Henderson teaches second grade at McNabb Elementary School in Paducah. Her classroom is spacious and full of color. She lights up when she starts talking about her students. She taught fifth grade for several years and enjoyed it, but recently moved back to teaching younger children.
"Just that excitement on their face, to see them, y'know, when they've grasped the concept, when that lightbulb goes off, that aha' moment. That's what I wanted to get back and to see because when I started off teaching, I was teaching third grade."
Henderson is one of 24 certified classroom teachers in the Paducah Independent School District who are African-Americans. That amounts to 11 percent of the teaching staff. That's a larger percentage than most other Kentucky school districts, but PIS is also more diverse than many other districts. Danny Fugate works with the McCracken County Community Career Endowment (or MCCCE), a non-profit organization created four years ago to address African-American economic issues. Fugate says the disparity follows a national trend.
"A number have retired from the system, and unfortunately they haven't been replaced by another African American teacher. So consequently the number of teachers decreased, but the number of African American students increased."
Last school year, 48 percent of PIS students were black. This school year, school officials say it's 52 percent. Fugate says this isn't a new issue.
"I've seen other groups approach the boards, and approach the principals to try to address the issue, but I've never seen anything of substinance."
In December, MCCCE created five $1,000 dollar signing bonuses to help lure black certified teachers to PIS. Fugate says the reason incentives are important is that there aren't that many African-American teachers to go around.
"African-American teachers are in demand everywhere. They have enormous choices. If they're not from Paducah or not from this area, they've got a hard choice to make."
Fugate says many other school districts offer cash, while some offer housing. Paducah Schools Superintendent Dr. Randy Green says the city's at a disadvantage because of its size.
"It's probably not fair to say all, but many young people like to go to metropolitan districts. So they like to go to the Louisvilles and they like to go to the Lexingtons. And they like to go to the Indianapolises. Not as many want to come to Paducah, Kentucky. So that's a struggle also."
A second part of the MCCCE incentive program are two college scholarships for black students who seek an education degree. One of the stipulations of the new scholarships are students must stay to teach in Kentucky for a period after they graduate. Raymond Sims is Minority Education Recruiter for the Murray State University College of Education. He's been in the position for nine years.
"The first three or four years, I wasn't seeing a whole lot of recruiters per se that were recruiting prospective teachers, minority teachers, out of Murray State. But up until the last four or five years, six years, I've seen a lot. So I get a lot of calls from, I guess recruiters, from different districts in the state."
Four percent of current undergraduate students in MSU's College of Education are black. Superintendent Green says schools can encourage their students who want to be teachers, but it's impossible to push them into the teaching field.
"When they look at the opportunities out there, and the future out there, there's a tendency to shy away from education. It isn't easy, it is difficult, and it doesn't pay all that well."
Officials generally agree, teachers have to have a passion for what they do. McNabb Elementary School teacher Zella Henderson says even then, the first five years are hard as teachers learn how to handle classroom challenges
"Kids coming in may not have had breakfast, y'know, what are you going to do? Or they may not have they school supplies. You might have to go in your pocket and go buy school supplies. And I do that that, and I have done that."
Despite the struggles, Henderson says she's been fortunate to have had significant support from her administrators. If she needs further training or certification, she's able to get it. She loves McNabb, and says she has no plans of leaving for any other schools.
MCCCE's Danny Fugate says the organization is taking a gamble on the incentive program. They're hopeful it will work, but there's no guarantee. The window for incentives is limited. MCCCE will offer the incentive payments through December 31, 2012; or until the money runs out.