Fall 2018 Staffing Update EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Purpose of Report: To provide the School Board with a recruitment and staffing update for fall 2018.

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1 Fall 2018 Staffing Update EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Purpose of Report: To provide the School Board with a recruitment and staffing update for fall While there were some slight anomalies in the number of applicants applying for positions, the Sioux Falls School District was able to hire qualified candidates to lead classrooms, assist students, serve lunches and keep the buildings clean. Successful strategies to hiring include early hire interviews, offering contracts to successful college graduates who were student teachers in the District, and recruiting on social media. The District hired 130 classroom teachers with just under half (41%) entering the profession for the first time. Veteran teacher hires come from across the country and the world, with Spanish Immersion teachers joining the District from Puerto Rico, Spain, and Colombia. While staffing is always a challenge, the District experienced a 21% drop in the number of applicants compared to the previous year. Several factors that may have contributed include budget uncertainty which resulted in positions being posted later than normal. Human Resources reviews strategies regularly so that all available positions are filled by the most qualified applicants. Administrative Recommendation to the School Board: Acknowledge this report concerning Fall 2018 recruitment and staffing. Report Prepared by: Human Resources August 27, 2018

2 Fall 2018 Staffing Update Purpose of Report: To provide the School Board with a recruitment and staffing update for fall District Priority Area 3: District Staff Priority Statement 6: SFSD will explore strategies to retain high quality, diverse staff. Explanation: Several hundred new employees will join our team by bringing their best to our schools this fall. It s an exciting time of year as teacher hiring is wrapped up and the focus shifts to filling the remaining support staff and substitute staff roles. This report provides information concerning the District s new staff, vacancies, and candidate pool characteristics. Teacher Staffing The District welcomed 130 new faces to our classrooms in August. The number of hires per level is listed below: Early Childhood 4 Elementary 47 Middle School 34 High School 38 School Specialists - 7 Just under half (41%) of the District s 130 new hires are new to the profession. Over 66% have less than five (5) years of teaching experience. The average years of service of teachers new to the District for is 4.70 years. Additionally, 28% of new teachers possess a master s degree or greater. Nearly 72% of new teachers hired hail from South Dakota. New hires also relocated from Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, Texas, Missouri, Arizona, Montana, Kansas, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Colombia. In the previous five (5) years, the District averaged 164 new teacher hires each school year. Factoring in the teacher reassignments necessary due to the end of the Literacy in Action program, staffing levels for are very close to this five-year average. The Human Resources Department does anticipate mid-year turnover. Report Prepared by: Human Resources Dept. 1 August 27, 2018

3 Support and Substitute Staffing August and early September efforts count for most of the support staff hiring. The District has hired nearly 105 education assistants, behavior facilitators, clerical and coaches to provide assistance to students, families, and teachers. Additionally, 18 support staff vacancies are posted on the District s website. By late fall, the Human Resources Department must recruit and hire a minimum of 250 substitute staff to replenish the substitute staff pool to meet the needs of schools. Recruitment Efforts As with most large employers, social media, targeted online messages and videos are the greatest utilized recruitment tools. They are cost effective, easy to share with others, and add a great deal of efficiency to the recruitment and hiring process. Recruit & Hire, the District s online applicant tracking system, captures applicant s referral information. Recruit & Hire revealed the most popular recruitment tool among applicants is the District website, followed by the referrals from other District employees, and Indeed.com. In addition to online resources and District-created applicant videos, the recruitment strategy continues to include administrators, interns, and teacher leaders building relationships with potential employees. Examples of these opportunities include the following: Math and Science Night Middle and high school administrators interviewed math and science applicants in an open house-type format. This event provides candidates an opportunity to learn about potential vacancies at the secondary level and to establish relationships with school leaders. Student Teachers to Contract Teachers The District s student teachers are a valuable source for recruiting. Analyzing potential vacancies and considering budgeting for the upcoming school year, the Human Resources Department and principals work together to fast-track the hiring process of successful student teachers to retain their background knowledge and talent in our classrooms. Early Hire Interviews The District has done an early hire interview process for several years at the elementary level. The process involves 10-minute interviews for principal/candidate networking purposes held at a central location. Then, once specific vacancies are known later in the spring, more in-depth interviews are held with the school s interview team at the school site. Both applicant and principal take advantage of the relationship building opportunity afforded by the Early Hire Interview process. Job Fairs Human Resources participation in job fair activities is customary. However, over the past four years several administrators and Report Prepared by: Human Resources Dept. 2 August 27, 2018

4 administrative interns participated in recruitment fairs at area universities and the SD Teacher Job Fair. In addition to interviews, administrators/interns and applicants had the opportunity to network and hold conversations about teaching and student learning. Each year, administrator/intern participation resulted in the recommendation of several new staff for employment. Additionally, job fair traffic has increased due to the opportunity for candidates to receive interviews. Instructional Coach Presentations The District is proud of the professional development provided to our new teachers through the Instructional Coach model. Instructional Coaches speak to teacher applicants about the unique level of support provided to new teachers in the District. This recruitment strategy is promising and will be a focus for growth in the upcoming hiring season. Moving forward, focus remains on building relationships with potential employees as a key in recruitment. The Human Resources Department plans to continue the aforementioned recruitment activities and continue to search out new and efficient ways to reach applicants, especially in the shortage areas of Special Education, fine arts, physics and chemistry. Teacher Applicant Pool This year, 819 candidates applied for District teaching positions. South Dakota is home to 75% of these applicants; while 91% of the applicants are from the midwest region. The average years of teaching experience in this candidate pool is 6.2 years. More than 55% of these applicants have less than five (5) years of teaching experience. Compared to last year, the District is down 21% in teacher applicants. (1,037 Teacher applicants for FY18). However, the Human Resources Department anticipated fewer applicants because staffing needs at elementary and in Special Education were impacted by the District s budgeting process. Early hire vacancies were not posted in January and February, as it was unclear if additional staff in these areas would be needed and where potential vacancies, if any, would be located. This impacted the number of applications received. The Human Resources Department monitors applicant volume and must continue to find ways grow the number of candidates applying for vacancies. Although a pool of over 800 applicants may seem robust, these applicants also pursue opportunities with other school districts across the mid-west. Costs: The Human Resources Department budgets $30,000 for recruitment costs annually. Our Recruit & Hire applicant tracking system costs an additional $5,200. Report Prepared by: Human Resources Dept. 3 August 27, 2018

5 Committee Participation: N/A Summary: Varied strategies involving administrators, interns, and instructional coaches in the recruitment process have proven successful. Additionally, promoting the District using teaching staff to discuss their experiences via video enables candidates to visualize themselves serving our students. As the District welcomes all new staff, the Human Resources Department will analyze strategies for Fall 2019 and involve stakeholders to continue to build a highquality candidate pool ready to serve the needs of students. Administrative Recommendation to School Board: Acknowledge this report concerning Fall 2018 recruitment and staffing. Report Prepared by: Human Resources Dept. 4 August 27, 2018