www.hwdsb.on.ca

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is embarking on a journey of discovery that began last spring when it did a staff diversity audit and found, not really to anyone’s surprise, that the staff population which is overwhelming white did not reflect the student population which is primarily ethnic. 

Hamilton, Ontario ranks high in numbers of immigrants and aboriginals in the province. So with the help of the Social Planning Research Council of Hamilton, and a model developed by the Hamilton Police Service, HWDSB, the second largest employer in the city, set about to make big changes in terms of diversifying its staff. Not just for now, but for years to come.

“It’s clear that our students need to see in our staff, role models they can follow and identify with,” says Judith Bishop, board president.

HWDSB hammered out a plan that Assistant Director of Education Chuck Reid says has nothing to do with quotas.

“The idea isn’t to do an affirmative action campaign where if you’re not part of the diverse community, please don’t apply,” he explains. “The issue is more preparing those in the diverse community so they can compete at the same level as those who normally would be applying.”

Working closed with the local Settlement and Integration Services Organization, HWDSB is not only helping foreign-trained teachers get the certification they need but also creating mentorship programs that will sensitize the mentor-teachers to the cultural gaps that may exist and sensitize foreign-trained teachers “to the environment they’ll be coming into so they’ll be successful.”  The plan got underway this month with the start of the new school year and will roll out over the next year.

At first, like anything new, the plan was met with apprehension, so sessions were held around the purpose of the audit with managers, supervisors and the union so they could understand exactly what the intent was and ultimately take away, what Reid calls, “those false fears.”

“This is not about exclusion,” Reid explains. “It’s about inclusion and preparing people to be more competitive in the workplace.”

Beyond the teacher component, HWDSB is looking at how to attract diverse employees to administration, business, facilities and maintenance positions. Part of its long range plan is to take advantage of boomers, of the retirees that are looming on the horizon, or what Reid refers to as “big bubbles of opportunity.”

“We would like to project out 10 to 15 years and do an estimate of when those retirement bubbles are going to hit,” Reid says. “I would see those as opportunities for hiring those folks who represent our diverse community.”

At the same time, HWDSB wants to reach out to students who in the process of determining their career goals, when they may consider teaching as an option, and if things go according to plan, they will see themselves working for the HWDSB and Reid hopes will be “stronger and richer” for it.

“If we have a workforce that’s seen in the hallway…all who represent different cultures and faiths,” he says. “Then the modeling is right there on a daily basis.”

Judith Bishop sees it as a plan that will enrich the school board as well but stresses, “To think this is not going to be constantly evolving or that this will happen overnight is not reality.”