Don't forget need for diversity in Lisle

After devoting 30 years to the children and parents of Lisle Unit District 202, I retired to California. Last week I was e mailed the retirement list for this year. I was surprised to see that not only were 14 staff retiring but two of those were teachers of color.

During my 30 years, I was responsible for both diversity education and recruiting persons of color to the district. When I started in this position, the district had no diversity policy and two people of color on staff in a district that had an 18 percent minority enrollment.

For seven years I traveled the state attempting to recruit people of color to our district. There was some success during this time and at one point we had increased the number of minorities on our staff to seven.

This increase still did not reflect our minority population, and at Grades 1-5, there was not one teacher of color. The color line at the elementary schools was not broken until 2008, my last year in Lisle when as principal of Tate Woods School, I hired a Hispanic/American teacher.

I am writing this letter because this year there are 14 teachers retiring from Lisle and two of those fourteen are minority teachers. That will leave Lisle with one minority teacher in Grades K-5, two at Grades 6-8, and one teacher at the high school. The senior high will also retain a minority support staff member.

Lisle's minority population remains at around 18 percent. I hope parents will make an effort to request that the school district make every effort to recruit teachers of color. It is of the utmost importance that all of the children have teachers who reflect a diversity of ethnic backgrounds. I encourage the school board to make this a priority.

Bill Kruthers

Retired principal,

Staff development coordinator,

Diversity chairman, Lisle Unit District 202