FARMINGTON --In an effort to keep up with the growth of minority students in county schools, the Davis School District recently placed an ad in "Teachers of Color" magazine to find more non-white teachers. While the number of minority students in the district has grown from 3,731 in 1998 to 6,290 in 2004 -- an increase of almost 70 percent -- the number of minority teachers and administrators hasn't grown at the same rate. According to the Utah State Office of Education, students of color make up approximately 12 percent of all students within the district.

Ethnic minority teachers and administrators, however, make up only about three percent of the total teachers and administrators in the district.

Davis School District Community Relations Coordinator Chris Williams said the district hopes the ad will arouse the interest of minority candidates.

"It's just one of the recent efforts we're trying to use to get more diversity in the district."

Utah School Board of Education Coalition of Minority Advisory Committee Member Cyndee Miya said hiring minorities in the district is a step in the right direction to increasing the test scores of minority students.

"It is about being a role model," Miya said. "There are a number of books and articles written about influence. If you see someone who is like you succeeding, you are more likely to succeed yourself. Relationships are so key to meeting the needs students have."

While the population of the school district is growing, the growth among minorities has increased at an unexpectedly quick pace. According to district numbers, the number of those of Pacific Island descent increased the most from 1998-2004 by 178 percent.

During the same time frame, the number of Hispanic students grew 88 percent, the number of black students grew by 65 percent, the number of American Indian students grew by 24 percent and the number of Asians grew by 17 percent.

cphares@davisclipper.com