Magnolia ISD approves employee recruitment and retention programs

The Magnolia ISD board of trustees approved four employee recruitment and retention programs at its Feb. 10 meeting. The programs are an effort to stay on the forefront of staff recruitment following a competitive employment market during the pandemic, according to Joe Dives, executive director of support services.

District information states school districts have been implementing new strategies to adapt to the job market and effects of COVID-19, such as teachers being out for longer periods of time. The district had an average of 10 positions unfilled daily in February 2020 and 22 positions unfilled on average in February 2021, according to the most recently available year-over-year data.

“We're growing,” Executive Director of Communications Denise Meyers said. “We know we're going to need more teachers; we know we're going to need more bus drivers.”

To recruit and hire educators in hard-to-fill areas, the early signing incentive program offers $2,000-$6,000 to special education professionals, Texas certified bilingual teachers and Texas certified secondary core subject teachers, depending on the month of hiring, according to Meyers.

In addition to teachers, bus drivers are needed due to a nationwide shortage, Dives said. The transportation recruitment program approved Feb. 10 offers a hiring stipend of up to $1,000 to newly hired bus drivers as well as $1,000 to MISD employees that refer a bus driver that is hired.

The board also approved an early resignation incentive program for current employees, which offers a one-time $500 payment to employees who submit their resignation by 4 p.m. March 31, according to Meyers. There is also a teacher referral incentive program to offer current employees $500-$1,500, depending on the type of teacher hired, for recommending a hired teacher, she said.

“In order for us to make sure that if we know teachers are leaving, if we can get them to submit their resignations earlier, then that gives us an opportunity to be ahead of the hiring season,” Meyers said.