Olympia school staff is more diverse than ever. But how does it compare to the student body?
.jpg "Knox Building, the Olympia School District main office.")
The Olympia School District staff is more diverse than it has been, according to data shared at the March 27 school board meeting.
Human Resources Director Scott Niemann said the district has a mission of ensuring its staff reflects the diverse perspectives and experiences of the students it serves. But data on student demographics shows the district still has a ways to go before its workforce is keeping up with the diverse student population in Olympia.
Student demographics
According to district Report Card data from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, there are 9,767 students enrolled in the OSD for the 2024-2025 school year. Of those, 60.7%, or 5,913, are white.
Hispanic/Latino students make up 15.1% of the district population, or 1,475 students. Those who identify as two or more races make up 12.2%, or 1,186 students.
The student population is 7.5% Asian (728 students), and 3.2% Black or African American (312 students).
There are 86 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students and 46 American Indian/Alaskan Native students.
Classified staff demographics
Niemann said there have been notable increases since 2016 in non-white classified employees, who are staff in non-teaching positions.
Hispanic employees increased from 2.4%, or 14 people in 2016, to 9.45%, or 57 people, in 2025.
Multi-ethnic employees increased from 0.84%, or five employees in 2016, to 22 employees, or 3.65%, in 2025, a four-fold increase.
Niemann said white employees made up 88.5% of the classified workforce in 2016, at 526 employees. By 2025, that number dropped to 75.3%, or 454 employees.
He said the district’s American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander representation remained relatively unchanged. In 2016 there were six American Indian, Alaska Native employees and now there are five.
There were 34 Asian employees in 2016, and now there are 44.
Certificated staff demographics
Niemann said one of the most notable increases among instructional staff was with Hispanic employees. The district went from eight Hispanic employees, or 1.2% in 2016, to 29 employees, or 4.3% in 2025.
White employees remain the majority, but the percentages have steadily declined from 95.8%, or 636 people, in 2016, to 90.2%, or 599 people in 2025.
Niemann said there was minimal change once again in American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, as well as Asian and Black representation, indicating limited growth in those categories.
In 2016, there were two American Indian or Alaska Native employees. There are two in 2025.
There were eight Asian employees in 2016, and now there are 10. There were three Black or African American employees in 2016, and seven in 2025.
There were two Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander employees in 2016, and now there is one.
Administrative staff demographics
Hispanic employees saw the most growth in administration from 2016 to 2025 as well. The number of Hispanic employees grew from 5.36% in 2016, or three people, to 13% in 2025, or eight people.
White employees dropped from 92.9%, or 52 administrators in 2016, to 75.8%, or 47 administrators in 2025.
The district did not have data for Black administrative staff before 2022, when three were added to the list. There are two Black administrators now.
The district as a whole
Niemann said Hispanic representation saw the most gain from 2016 to 2025 throughout the district. The group represents 7.1% of employees in 2025, or 94 people. That’s compared to 1.9%, or 25 people in 2016.
Black and African American employees started at 0.6% in 2016, or eight people. That’s increased to 1.9% of staff, or 25 people.
Multi-ethnic representation started at 0.76%, or 10 employees, in 2016 and grew to 3.1%, or 41 employees in 2025.
Niemann said there’s very low representation of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander people in the district. The number varies between six and 10 employees.
He said white representation continues to dominate the workforce, but has steadily declined from 92.4% in 2016 to 82.8% in 2025. The 2025 number represents about 1,100 people.
The effort to diversify
Niemann said the district has been examining some of its hiring processes to ensure it is fair and equitable.
“We have supplemental and equity questions as part of the application process that helps us assess the commitment to racial equity,” he said. “We’ve done some bias awareness training back in 2020 to help mitigate implicit bias. We have some things now where we’re simultaneously posting certificated positions outside of the district, and we’re required to interview at least 25% outside the district.”
He said the district also has partnerships and pipeline programs aimed at getting more people from all diverse backgrounds onto the staff.
“We have a really neat collaboration with the Washington Education Association, a new teacher residency program that we’re just embarking on right now,” Niemann said. “We’re going to have three evening meetings where we’re going to be providing information for our para-educator staff who may be interested in getting a special education certification in teaching.”
He said they also have a district leadership collaboration with a Puget Sound ESD program focused on hiring and retention. And the district is learning from other districts about innovative recruitment and retention strategies for staff of color.
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