Baltimore teacher recruitment program discriminates on the basis of race and sex, critics say

A parent group is crying foul after Baltimore County Public Schools announced a teacher hiring initiative designed only for racial minorities and women in STEM.

The Baltimore local government is offering $1 million in grants to BCPS to recruit “teachers who are black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) [and] women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).”

“Every child deserves to grow up with role models and mentors who look like them,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said in a press release. “Diversity is our strength in Baltimore County and the new recruitment scholarship will support students from across the country and make our school system stronger and more vibrant.” 

However, the data included in the press release doesn’t demonstrate an overly large disparity in student-teacher racial demographics. 

One-third of BCPS students and 55% of teachers are white, and 40% of students and 35% of teachers are black. 

The remaining 21% of students and 7% of teachers are listed as either Hispanic/Latino or Asian. 

Now, a parental advocacy group is accusing Baltimore of being “overtly discriminatory.” 

“Any time that you’re prioritizing any other quality other than just the best and brightest teachers, then you might be looking past teachers that are really good fits for the district, but because they aren’t a certain race they’re being passed over,” said Alex Nester, an investigative fellow with Parents Defending Education. 

“If you want future teachers that come from a diverse array of backgrounds, then you need to help today’s students meet proficiency levels in math and reading,” she said. 

Only 5% of BCPS high school students are proficient in math, and only 40% read at grade level. 

But despite abysmal test scores, Baltimore is spending hundreds of thousands of education dollars on hiring racially diverse teachers. And it’s not the first to do so.  

The Minnesota Department of Education had a similar initiative in 2022. But it only managed to attract six new teachers, despite having enough funds for 41 positions.