Protecting teacher diversity is key for students

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On Monday, a lawsuit was filed against the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) for the district's recent agreement with the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) to prevent teachers of color and Indigenous teachers from being released by their school or the district due to budget cuts ("Suit calls new MPS contract racist," front page, Aug. 24). These protections for teachers of color are important because teachers of color and Indigenous teachers positively affect all students — students of color, Indigenous students and white students alike.

Sixty-three percent of MPS students are of color, but people of color and Indigenous people make up only 18% of licensed teachers.

Protections are needed because:

Protections for teachers of color and Indigenous teachers from budget cuts is about preserving a diverse teaching workforce that represents the population of students. Both district and union leaders agreed that this was a priority and the best way forward. The protections are not a point of controversy in Minneapolis.

These protections are in place to prevent teachers from underrepresented groups from being forced to leave because of budget cuts. They do not preclude any teacher from being released because of performance or conduct.

We at the Advancing Equity Coalition, a multicultural, multiracial group focused on education justice in Minneapolis, led an advocacy effort in support of these protections because we know the district cannot afford to lose any diversity among its current teachers.

These protections are critical because of the financial challenges the district currently faces. Last fall, the district projected the need to lay off more than 130 teachers to balance the budget, but was able to avoid that with the use of the federal aid dollars that came to Minneapolis as a response to COVID-19. However, this federal aid will soon run out, and the least-senior teachers, who are disproportionately teachers of color and Indigenous teachers, will be cut. Not to mention the 50 teachers of color and Indigenous teachers who were released from their buildings last year because of budget constraints.

The manufactured outrage over the protections in the lawsuit is the right wing's attempt to distract and agitate its base as it continues to undermine our democracy and strip away our rights. If conservatives are truly concerned about this, they can simply agree to adequately fund public education with Minnesota's $9 billion surplus, so MPS does not need to worry about laying off staff because of budget cuts.

We will not allow this attack on teachers of color and policies that support them go unanswered. Our students demand and deserve the best, and the Advancing Equity Coalition will continue to fight to ensure that all children in MPS, especially students of color and Indigenous students, are equipped with teachers who represent them, their culture, their language and their identity, and who provide the best outcomes for them.

Kenneth Eban is executive director of the Minneapolis-based Advancing Equity Coalition.