When Nordia Pryce’s flight from Arizona landed in Denver on Friday, she experienced something she had never encountered before.
“It was quite an experience. I experienced snow for the first time,” she said.
She hopes it’s not the last time.
Pryce, who is originally from Jamaica, wants to make Denver her new home after spending the last few years teaching in Arizona.
She’s hoping to land a teaching job for Denver Public Schools.
Denver7 caught up with Pryce at a diversity hiring job fair the district hosted Saturday at Manual High School.
“I'm a math teacher, so that's what I'm here looking for my position,” said Pryce.
Denver Public Schools is one of the most diverse school districts in Colorado, but numbers show the district’s workforce is not as diverse as many community members want.
Lauren Nelson, the district’s director of talent acquisition, says the district is looking to diversify its workforce and fill positions from bus drivers to teachers.
Saturday's job fair was one of the many ways the district is working to do that.
“We want our students to see themselves reflected in the adults that support them,” said Nelson. “It is important that they see themselves not only in their teachers, but they see it in district leadership and throughout the district.”
Extensive research shows students of color perform better when more teachers and support staff look like them.
According to numbers provided by DPS, while minorities make up 75% of its student population, they only make up 36% of its employees.
Nelson said the district has made progress, but acknowledged there is still more work to do.
Recruiting and retaining a diverse group of teachers can be challenging under the best of circumstances, but Denver has its own set of unique challenges, with the cost of living at the top of that list.
“I think the cost of living in Denver has continued to go up and so you know, when you're looking at recruiting people in we have to look at our salaries and compare that to the cost of living,” said Nelson.
The district is providing signing bonuses of $2,000 for some hard-to-find positions like special education teachers.
DPS recruiters have also been visiting HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) and HSIs (Hispanic-Serving Institutions).
Nelson says DPS is not alone when it comes to trying to diversify its workforce.
It’s a goal that schools district across the region and nation share.
“We are seeing even our other metro districts are showing up to the same events in New Mexico in California,” said Nelson. “So, we are also continuing to look at going out of state and bringing more educators into Colorado.”
Applicants at Saturday’s job fair also received help with improving their resumes and preparing for interviews.
For more information on opening positions within DPS, visit https://careers.dpsk12.org/
