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USD 443 staff report details recruitment, apprenticeship and special‑education funding concerns
Summary
District staff outlined vacancies, recruitment programs and pipelines including a Kansas registered teacher apprenticeship and teacher cadet program; a board member warned the interlocal special‑education arrangement faces budget pressure that may require difficult decisions.
District staff told the USD 443 Board of Education that staffing shortages remain the district’s most persistent operational challenge and detailed several recruitment and retention efforts, while a board member raised urgent concerns about special‑education funding within the interlocal arrangement known as 6‑13.
Human‑resources presenter Tara (identified during the meeting) said the district currently reports 76 teacher vacancies (counting long‑term substitutes as certified vacancies), six bus driver vacancies, 12 coach openings, and other openings in custodial and paraprofessional roles. Tara said the district has 376 certified staff, 849 classified staff and a total of 1,268 employees (not counting extra‑duty‑only positions).
To address the teacher shortage the district is using multiple strategies: a Kansas registered teacher apprenticeship program with 20 approved district slots (19 currently filled), a tuition payment program that reimburses up to $2,000 per semester for eligible staff working…
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