Oberlin Public Schools made headway on the district-wide initiative to broaden diversity by appointing former teacher, Assistant Principal and Administrator Gloria Buxton as the liaison for the project earlier this month. As a minority recruiter, Buxton will identify the staff ’s diversity needs, recruit talented teachers and mentor promising candidates with the aim of aligning the district with NAACP goals.

“I would define minority as any under-represented group, and so, by increasing focus on diversity, we are making sure that our district reflects our student population,” Buxton said in a phone interview with the Review. Around 17 percent of Oberlin school district’s employees are people of color. The district hopes to balance this number with that of the student body, which is around 24 percent students of color. Buxton hopes that the project will give students more individualized support by hiring more teachers and staff members from a wider array of backgrounds and ethnicities.

Buxton’s schedule is quite busy, consisting of research on promising teacher certification, interviews with potential candidates and job fairs at which Buxton will speak with individuals who might be interested in coming to teach in Oberlin.

Buxton said that as an increasing number of teachers in the district retire over the coming year, Oberlin is looking to bring in more teachers who have an understanding of cultural sensitivity and awareness.

“The goal is to identify potential talented candidates prior to their senior year [of college] and provide opportunities for them to learn about Oberlin City Schools,” said Superintendent John Schroth. Schroth is hoping that recruitment fairs will bring in a variety of qualified candidates who will remain in the district throughout their career.

Buxton says she is excited about leading the project. “It’s great to give back to [the] community that supported me through my career.”