Ben Muir, the assistant superintendent for Human Resources, gave a presentation on current staffing during the Sept. 23 board of trustees meeting. The presentation included elementary and secondary positions, special education retention and auxiliary positions, such as transportation and custodial workers.
“Two years ago, we were sitting at about 170 [teacher] vacancies,” Muir said. “Last year, at this time, [we had] 145 [teacher] vacancies, so we're trending in the right direction."
Current situation
Muir said the district has been implementing a series of strategies to attract and retain staff members, including a relocation stipend for teachers.
“We implemented a little relocation stipend. It doesn't pay for everything, but it usually [pays for a] down payment on an apartment or whatever that may be as they're relocating,” Muir said. “We'll pay up to $5,000 on what their bill was. All they've got to do is sign that they're going to stay with us for three years."
Muir noted that around 100 teachers have taken advantage of the program, with only five teachers having to leave and reimburse the district.
Key strategies for hiring include:
- Relocation stipends for new teachers
- $5,000 reimbursement for uncertified teachers for getting certified
- Recruiting through the Texas Veterans Commission
- Creating a potential pipeline of about 100 graduating seniors to use as instructional assistants
Additionally, Muir said classified/auxiliary positions are above 90% filled across most departments, with an estimated 60% fill rate for transportation positions and custodial positions, 70% for maintenance positions and 40% for child nutrition positions.
Northside ISD Place 6 trustee Carol Harle expressed enthusiasm for student work opportunities and suggested expanding opportunities into other departments.
“My recommendation was not just stopping with maintenance, but [with] opportunities all the way down to child nutrition, where students could do internships, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships,” Harle said.
