Various approaches are being used in North East ISD and Northside ISD—from more aggressive recruitment to shifting schedules and consolidating bus routes—to counter lingering employee shortages.

In late December, Northside ISD reported 610 vacancies, including 200 teaching, 250 custodial, 75 food service and 85 bus-driving jobs.

Around the same time, North East ISD reported 428 vacancies among its full-time teachers, custodians, food services and bus drivers.

However, Ben Muir, NISD’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said NISD had fewer vacancies in most staffing departments in the middle of the school year than it had at the start of the academic year.

Muir said NISD failed to see an uptick in applicants after the school board voted last summer to adopt a 2% average salary range midpoint raise for all employees and a 4% midpoint pay increase for auxiliary staff.



Muir said many prospective employees feel even higher hourly wages at NISD still cannot help them to keep pace with rising costs of living.

“Plus, there’s not a huge pool of teachers we can pull from. Pre-COVID[-19], we had more people applying for a job than we had available positions. I think COVID[-19] made people re-evaluate their life and priorities,” Muir said.

Chyla Whitton, NEISD human resources executive director, said the district is focused on strengthening its recruitment and retention efforts.

She said NEISD and other Texas school districts are trying to grow the numbers of full-time teachers through the ranks of substitute teachers, people who previously considered an educational career and individuals going through alternative certification programs, which allow them to teach while completing their requirements.


“We’re looking at ways outside of the normal methods of recruitment,” Whitton said.

NEISD is also interested in local military retirees who may entertain employment opportunities within the school district, Whitton said.

“Veterans have talents in every area. Their skills are scaleable, especially in the classroom,” Whitton said.

Transportation leaders in NISD and NEISD said they have gotten creative in response to bus driver shortages.


NISD Transportation Director Tesilia Soliz said her department was short 80-plus transportation employees in December and has resorted to having many drivers double or triple the number of routes they cover each day in a 355-square-mile school district.

The bus driver shortage also prompted NISD to cut bus routes in certain areas where a crossing guard may help children walk to and from their school.

Soliz said NISD is taking such steps as offering a $300 bonus to incentivize employees who successfully recommend someone who ends up getting a district job.

Soliz also said NISD is more conscientious about its recruitment efforts.


“We’re doing everything and anything to recruit,” she said.

NEISD Transportation Director Bill Harrison said his department was short 31 full-time bus drivers out of 242 total bus driver slots as of Dec. 15.

Harrison said NEISD is proactive with recruitment, including advertising jobs on 15 billboards citywide and offering more driving hours per week.

Harrison also said NEISD strives to steer clear of having drivers double or triple their number of routes.


“We’ve consolidated seven routes where that makes sense,” Harrison said.

NEISD began 2022-23 with $8 million in raises, including a 2% midpoint hike for teachers, and market-adjusted starting pay for eligible bus drivers and assistants, custodians, and food service and special education assistants.

Harrison said he saw a rise in the number of job seekers, with 83 people applying for bus driver in July and August. Out of that number, 15 drivers were hired, Harrison said.

Harrison said NEISD is more proactive with recruitment, including advertising jobs on 15 billboards citywide and offering more hours per week.

“On the other hand, job fairs, for the most part, haven’t been fruitful for us,” Harrison added.

Leroy San Miguel, NISD assistant superintendent for facilities and operations, said 250 of 1,280 available custodial positions were vacant as of the district’s 2022 holiday break.

San Miguel said NISD tries to make up for custodial shortages by temporarily having custodians work a school close to their assigned campus, scheduling more cleaning activities during the school day and asking teachers to put trash outside their classroom to make for quick collections by passing custodians.

San Miguel also said NISD is more aggressive at recruitment via job fairs, advertising and community events.

“We are trying everything you can imagine,” he added.