District administrators recognized this fact and union members and the Minneapolis Board of Education agreed to new contract language retaining underrepresented groups in May."ĭickey says he’s heard from several Minneapolis teachers and taxpayers upset over the new policy, however, he has not identified a plaintiff or started the process of filing suit. At MPS, we work every day to provide our students an inclusive education, a supportive community, and lifelong learning. Increasing the racial diversity of the teaching staff benefits all our students. Unlike many Minnesota schools, our student body is about two-thirds students of color. In a statement, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers said in part, "As in nearly all Minnesota school districts, our teaching staff is overwhelmingly white. "The role model effect shows that just by having one teacher that looks like you and speaks the same language as you, has a dramatic effect on your educational experiences," she said. Muhammad says the new retention policy is less about the teachers and more about the students. "It’s clearly designed to be a race-based classification and the district and the union are probably hoping the language they’re using would slide past the courts, but it's not going to work," said Dickey.
Wygant v Jackson Board of Education concluded that a layoff provision in that contract violated the Equal Protection Clause. "When integration happened, it took the black students and students of color and left the black teachers."ĭickey cites a 1986 Supreme Court decision that struck down a similar effort by a Michigan school board. "This contract language is a small step to restoring the balance," said Muhammad.
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