East Valley Searching For Minority Applicants To Broaden Diversity The District Has Six Native American, Three Asian And Three Hispanic Teachers, But No African-American Teachers.

East Valley School District has been successful in hiring female administrators in recent years, but employing minorities is still a struggle.

“I would beg, borrow and steal if I could get people of ethnicity to come and talk to me,” said Darryl Isotalo, EV’s affirmative action officer.

Isotalo made a report to the school board on affirmative action statistics earlier this month.

The district has taken steps to increase its pool of applicants, said Isotalo, who is also assistant superintendent in charge of personnel. In the past, applications were accepted only when there was an opening.

In the summer of 1992, the district began accepting applications year-round “to build the biggest pool of candidates we could have,” Isotalo said.

District representatives also have attended recruitment seminars all over the country, trying to attract candidates to the Spokane Valley.

But it’s tough because many minority candidates are attracted to districts only where there are other minorities, he said. “We aren’t seeing the applicants here.”

Subsequently, the district has had only one black teacher in the past 10 years. The district employs one Native American administrator, but no Asian, black or Hispanic administrators.

All information is based on optional reporting of race by employees. The most recent information available for comparison is from 1985.

The district has several minority teachers. Six are Native American, up from one in 1985. Three are Asian and three are Hispanic, both up from zero 10 years ago. But East Valley has no black teachers.

Despite trouble hiring minorities, Spokane has no overall trouble attracting qualified applicants, Isotalo said. Recruiters can afford to be selective. There’s been little trouble hiring women, he said.

In 1985, none of the four central office administration positions was filled by a woman. The number of positions, and the number of women in them, has risen 10 years later to two out of seven.

Similarly, only two of 14 building administrators were women in 1985. That’s risen to five out of 13.

A black student teacher who will graduate in May from Gonzaga University now works in the district as part of her degree program. The district offered her a job, but she had more attractive offers, Isotalo said.

“When someone of quality comes along, they’re in high demand,” he said. “(A district) with an immediate vacancy will snap them up.”