Have you ever wondered why there are so few BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Teachers working in Medford Public Schools?

After teaching for 31 years, primarily at MHS, I have seen first-hand why there are so few BIPOC teachers, and I have some ideas how to fix this problem.

• There are few BIPOC newly certified teachers in Massachusetts, and they are in very, very high demand.

• A lot of BIPOC teachers want to work at MPS because we are one of the few school districts that has a diverse student population.

• Existing employment practices push BIPOC teachers, and other great newly hired teachers, away from MPS. Medford continues to “RIF” all new teachers for the first three years. RIF stands for “Reduce In Force” - so we essentially fire all new teachers each spring and say we will offer them a job in August. Student loans and high housing costs do not allow a newly fired teacher to wait around to August hoping they will be offered a job. Again and again, new BIPOC and phenomenal young teachers leave Medford for wealthier suburban schools. A solution is for Medford to complete the staffing budget in May so we are not laying off teachers and then attempting to re-hire them a week before school starts in September.

• I want to work towards implementing a supportive environment for new teachers and replace an existing process that can come across as adversarial and unwelcoming. In addition, Medford needs to reach out to the BIPOC student groups at local colleges and form a partnership whereby these student teachers can get their required hours for certification and then fill teaching vacancies.

• We all benefit if new BIPOC teachers, and all new teachers, believe that Medford is a supportive and joyful place to invest their heart and soul into teaching a wonderfully diverse and appreciative student body.

Improving our schools for all Medford students is my mission. Please support my campaign for School Committee.

Andy Milne