A new agreement between the Minneapolis teachers union and Minneapolis Public Schools that could result in white teachers being laid off before minority teachers, regardless of seniority, has sparked criticism among experts.
According to the agreement (pdf), initially struck in March, white teachers would be laid off or reassigned before “educators of color” in the event Minneapolis Public Schools needs to reduce staff, under a section called “educators of color protections.”
The agreement states that past discrimination by the school district “disproportionately impacted the hiring of underrepresented teachers in the District” compared to the relevant labor market, and that this resulted in a lack of diversity among teachers….