SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The Sheboygan Area School District is one of the state’s largest and most diverse school districts.

Minority students make up 49% of the school population, but yet, minority teachers make up just 4%.

Andrea Holschbach is SASD’s Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. She said a new partnership with nearby Lakeland University aims to help close that gap.

“We’d be better serving out students if we could better represent them in our teaching staff,” Holschbach said.

Three SASD minority students who have not yet been identified are set to receive scholarships this coming fall to help them pursue a teaching degree at LU. The scholarships cover tuition and each student is guaranteed an interview with SASD post-graduation.

“We have a local problem that’s also a national issue,” said Beth Borgen, President of Lakeland University.

Borgen admits LU faces a similar problem. While about 30% of its students are minorities, it only has four minority professors.

“Our teachers in the local area don’t look like their students anymore,” she said.

Borgen and Holschbach admit it has been difficult to persuade teachers of color from outside of the area to come teach in Sheboygan.  That’s why this new initiative aims to retain students who are already familiar with the area.

“To recruit individuals to Sheboygan is difficult because they’re not thinking about this as a diverse population, which it definitely is,” Holschbach said.

Borgen would not comment on the amount of money each student will receive through the Kohler Teaching Scholars Program.

The goal is to secure more funding each year, so more BIPOC students can take advantage of this new program. Borgen said LU plans to begin a similar initiative to retain BIPOC teachers at the university.