Kingsley Botchway, the director of equity and engagement for the Iowa City School District, on Tuesday presented the 2016-17 update for the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan to the School Board.

The Comprehensive Equity Plan outlines the district’s goals to “increase the composition of underrepresented groups in district administrative, certified, and support staff with a particular focus on gender, race, and ethnicity.”

The expected results included achieving 15 percent composition of the aforementioned groups in all employee categories by 2020, identifying and eliminating barriers in hiring process for applicants, and to establish an exit-interview process for staff leaving the district.

The district has a “ways to go” to meet these goals, said board member Brian Kirschling; the current numbers are well below the 15 percent mark.

The current minority teaching staff is at 5.8 percent, administration is at 11.7 percent, and there are no kitchen managers of color or male.

Two out of the District’s 29 principals are of color, which translates to 7.7 percent, and there is only one guidance counselor of color in the district.

Board Vice President LaTasha DeLoach said there is a need in Iowa City for community mentors because persons of color are more likely to leave Iowa City if they do not feel connected to the community.

Botchway said that having a diverse staff is important because it reflects the world they are preparing students to live and work in.

“We need teachers from all different backgrounds because we have students from all different backgrounds,” DeLoach said.

— by Emily Kresse