Public schools in Monroe County have about 1,500 black students, representing 16% of the overall enrollment, but as of two years ago, there were only eight black teachers in the county school district, representing 3% of all teachers. Gerald Adams Elementary School in Key West, for example, has a student population that is 40% black.
The Black Educators Initiative, created and funded by Key West businessman and philanthropist John Padget through his Golden Fleece Foundation, provides financial fellowships as an incentive for black teachers to apply for jobs in the Monroe County School District.
Research shows that having a black teacher has several positive effects on black students. One study found that black students who had one black teacher by third grade were 7% more likely to graduate high school and 13% more likely to enroll in college. After having two black
teachers, black students’ likelihood of enrolling in college increased by 32%.
“I think the ramifications of this program could be dramatic,” Padget told the Keys Weekly on July 11.
“We expect this program to expand,” said Bryan Green, board member of the Golden Fleece Foundation that funds the fellowships. “Including the newly hired teachers, the district will now have 22 black teachers (provided the new hires can find housing in the Keys). The Black Educator Initiative has made good progress, but the goal is to have teachers that fully represent the demographics of the students.”
The Black Educators Initiative, with funding from the Golden Fleece Foundation, provides a $30,000 fellowship to black teachers who are hired by the local school district.
Padget emphasized that he and the foundation “have nothing at all to do with the hiring process,” so these educators need to apply through the normal routes, get hired by the school district and start teaching.
“Fellowship awards will be presented to teachers in their respective classrooms next week by Terry Huff, representing the Golden Fleece Foundation,” Padget said.
Huff is a graduate of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), the nation’s first public liberal arts institution for African Americans and a Historically Black College/University in Durham, North Carolina.
The $30,000 fellowships are awarded to newly hired black teachers in Monroe County. Huff said that awardees from out-of-county receive $15,000 at the beginning of their first year. Then, coinciding with their continued employment, they receive $10,000 at the start of their second year, and $5,000 for their third year.
Teacher Anita Linville was one of the first teachers to receive a BEI fellowship after being offered a job at Key West High School.
“The Black Educator Initiative is designed to bridge the gap of inequity and inequality so often seen in education today,” Linville said. “It is a powerful program to provide an opportunity for diverse students to learn from a diverse group of teachers. Because the intent is so radically genuine, the Golden Fleece foundation makes the process easy for potential Black educators.”For more information and to apply, black educators should visit blackeducatorinitiative.com for details.
