Portland Obaarvar Dacambar 0 , 1979 Paga 3
Portland School District hiring patterns exclude Black teachers
for 1977-78; from 16 per cent of new
hires in 1973-74 to 2 per cent in 1977-
78. After the Coalition found exactly
(he same thing I charged in 1969, the
district hired a few more in 1978-79.
This drop in the hiring of Black
teachers took place in spite of Mr.
Blanchards public statement in 1973
that the rate of resignations of Black
teachers exceeds that of non-Black
teachers to the exent that *We nuiust
teachers to extent that ‘We must hire
two to keep one’.
“ We don’t accept the excuse that
Blacks go to better jobs. We know
Black teachers who have left because
of mistreatment who are still un
employed.”
(Continued from page I col. 6)
Commissioner, Bill Stevenson,
dismissed the case.
HEW threatens
That June, HEW Region X, moved
on one of the allegations of Ms.
Spencers complaint — that the
district discriminated in the
assignment of Black teachers. HEW’
had found (hat six schools with
majority Black student bodies had
teaching staffs of from 20.5 per
cent to 32 per cent Black, although
the district’s teaching staff was only
6.5 per cent minority.
HEW notified the district that it
was not eligible for Emergency
School Aid Act (ESAA) funds
because it discriminated in “ the
assignment of full-time classroom
teachers to the schools of such agen
cy in such a manner as to identify
any of such schools as intended for
students of a particular race, color or
national origin.”
The district was advised that not
only was it ineligible for ESAA funds
but that it would be contracted by
the Office of Civil Rights in regard to
compliance with Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. The district was
advised that it could request a waiver
of ineligibility by demonstrating that
it would adhere to the Singleton
Rule.
The district complied by transfer-
ing minority teachers out of Black
schools. Thereafter, a battle raged
between the district and the Oregon
Minority Educators Organization.
"When HEW found the district in
non-compliance we expected that the
situation would be remedied by
hiring additional Black teachers.
“ If enough new Black teachers
had been hired to place at least one in
each school, that would have raised
the percentage of minority teachers
and not as many would have had to
be moved. Compliance could have
been accomplished by allowing those
who wanted to transfer to do so.”
Continued discrim ination
The Community C oalition for
School Integration documented the
lack of Black teachers in the system
and recommended that the Board
move quickly to have a teaching staff
that would approximate the percen
tage of minority students — ap
proximately 20 per cent. The Board
rejected the idea and chose instead to
associate the teaching staff with the
work force statistics (4.5 to 5.5 per
cent). OMEO had included
discrimination in hiring in their 1977
HEW com plaint, which was in
vestigated in April of 1979, but that
section was separated and is to be
refiled with the Equal Employment
Opportunities Commission.
The Black United Front included
in its demands the hiring of ad
ditional Black teachers and appoint
ing them in greater numbers to
schools with greater concentrations
of Black students.
The rem edy
The School Board has accepted the
advise of its attorney, Mark Mc
Clanahan, and has voted to notify
HEW that it will no longer adhere to
the Singleton Rule. The district plans
to follow the guideline that no school
with more than twice the district’s
minority population (schools with 40
per cent or more minority
enrollment) will have double the per
centage of minority teachers (not
more than approxim ately 15 per
cent). This will apply only to district
assignment of teachers, with an
allowance for exceeding that level if
teachers request assignment to those
schools.
If HEW disagrees, the district will
request a summary judgment or will
file suit.
McClanahan advised that, first of
all, the Singleton decision docs not
apply to Portland because it involved
court ordered desegregation of a de
jure segregated district while Port
land has de facto segregation.
Also, P o rtlan d ’s prom ise to
adhere to the Singleton Rule in order
to receive federal funds was for the
1975-76 school yearl only.
Spokesmen from HEW disagree,
saying that because of a past rinding
of discrim ination Portland has a
“ continuing obligation” under the
Singleton rule.
Just an excuse
“ It doesn’t really matter what they
do about the Singleton Rule,” Ms.
Spencer said. "They are only using
this as an excuse to delay hiring
Black teachers.
“ The Singleton Rule never said
they couldn’t hire Black teachers.
They have used it as an excuse and
will continue to use it. All this fuss
about the Singleton Rule is just a
way to delay. There have been court
suits all over the country and the
Singleton Rule still stands. All that
will happen is that they will spend
two or three years in court and the
attorney will make a lot of money.
“ During all this time, the district
will still refuse to hire more Black
teachers.”
R eginald G rey, a c o m m u n ity ag en t at A dam s, said th a t possible
closure of the school w ould be "one of the greatest tragedies to ever
com e d o w n ." Grey also w ondered w h a t would happen to Black staff
mem bers assigned to Adam s
(Photo: Richard B rown)
parents who carry the burden of
desegregating the Portland Public-
Schools by the ‘one way’ busing
plan. Black teachers are now forced
to satisfy ESAA staff balance
regulations of I972. When will white
students and parents be forced to
comply with the Civil Rights Act of
1964?”
Because of the district policy of
maintaining segregated schools and
of assigning Black teachers
disproportionately to those schools,
Black students and teachers were
forced to bear the burden of forced
compliance with HEW regulations.
harassment and pressure. Parents
and some teacher didn’t know the
Black teachers were forced there.
“ Some teachers were harassed by
principals, parents and even stud
ents. Those who were not overtly
harassed were isolated in schools
with no other Black adults and in
some cases with few or no Black
students.
“ Another result -- one that was
predicted - was that access into the
district ended. Most Black teachers
had been assigned to Black schools,
then some moved out to other
schools. As they moved out, prin
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CONCENTRATING IN THE FIELDS OF;
Black teachers hired by PPS
(Statistics provided by the Portland Public Schools I
OMEO accused the district of
identification of Black teachers with
up to 30 years seniority as "surplus
status teachers” and of mandatorily
transferring out Black teachers while
allowing white teachers to volunteer
to transfer in. They also pointed out
the detrim ental effect the move
would have on Black children.
“ We feel that HEW and the Civil
Rights Department are playing a
game of political checkers with Port
land’s powerless Black students and
Ms. Spencer warned at the time
that the children would suffer.
The method the district chose to
reach compliance with HEW
regulations had several detrimental
effects.
"Blacks had always been assigned
to schools where principals wanted
th em ," Ms. Spencer explained.
"Dispersal of teachers to schools
where there had never been a Black;
where prinicipals, staff members and
parents did not want them brought
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cipals who knew they needed Black
teachers asked for Black replace
ments.
“ Now that the pressure from the
I969 complaint was off, the district
used the Singleton Rule as an excuse
not to hire more Black teachers.
Rather than increase the percentage
of minority teachers so they could
place more in Black schools, they
have made the excuse that they can
not place more than three teachers in
a Black school. The Singleton Rule
does not limit the hiring of Black
teachers.”
As the result of harassment and
isolation many Black teachers have
left the district since 1975 and they
have not been replaced. The district’s
teaching staff was 6.5 per cent
minority in I975 and only 8.2 per
cent minority last year, even though
teachers for Southeast Asian studen
ts and non-English speaking students
have been added.
The hiring ends
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Following the dismissal of Ms.
Spencer’s case, Black hiring dropped
significantly. In 1975-76, eight
teachers were hired, six per cent of
the new hires. That year 6.8 per cent
of the teaching staff was minority.
In 1976-1977, eight Black teachers
were hired, 4 per cent of the new
hires, and in 1977-78 three Black
teachers were hired, 2 per cent of the
new hires. That year the teaching
staff hit a low of 5.5 per cent
minority, while minority students
made up 20 per cent of the school
population.
"The drop off in hiring of Black
teachers since 1975 is drastic - from
47 for the 1973-74 school year to 8
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