Citing a school department report, David Harris of the Randolph Fair Practices Association said that only 12 percent of the school system’s 531 employees come from minority groups.

When it comes to the teaching staff, the percentage of minorities is even lower. Only 8 percent of the system’s teachers are black, Asian or Hispanic.

“I’m quite concerned about that,” said Harris, the longtime president of the group.

With the budget cuts that take effect this fall, Harris feels the number of minority staff members “may be reduced further.”

“We seem to be slipping,” Harris told the school committee at its June 21 meeting.

He called on the school system to make a stronger and more creative effort to recruit minority employees.

Blacks make up just over half of the students in the Randolph school system, with all minorities making up nearly 75 percent.

School committee Chairman Larry Azer said the committee shares Harris’ concerns about the increasing the number of minority staff members in the system.

“We are extremely focused on that effort,” Azer said.

The problem, he said, is the small number of minority students going into the field of education and the intense competition for their services.

“As fast as we’re bringing them in the door, they’re going out the door,” Azer said.

The school system’s human resources director, Octavio Furtado, has been “a leader in the effort to hire minority teachers,” Azer said.

Harris replied, “The recruitment is in the numbers.”

He has been critical of the decision to replace Alberto Molina, who is Hispanic, as principal of the Donovan School. Molina’s contract as principal was not renewed after three years.

One of the school system’s new administrative hires is a minority. Wanda Speede, an assistant principal at Randolph High School, is black.

Harris has frequently criticized the minority hiring records of both school and town officials.

The number of minority school employees increased slightly from a year ago, from 11 percent to 12 percent.

Four years ago, the Randolph Unity Network found that minorities made up about 6 percent of the school system’s staff.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.