Pennridge Personnel Committee hears BloomBoard 'Grow Your Own' proposal and HR staffing updates

Pennridge SD’s Personnel Committee met Oct. 13 and heard a presentation from Lauren Patterson of BloomBoard on a district-focused “Grow Your Own” teacher pipeline, followed by committee updates on HR recruiting, tuition reimbursement use and position-control work.

BloomBoard’s presentation laid out four pathways the vendor said districts often adopt: (1) a high-school-to-paraprofessional pathway, (2) an associate-degree pathway, (3) a bachelor’s-degree completion pathway in partnership with a university, and (4) a post-baccalaureate pathway for candidates who already hold a bachelor’s degree. "If they're working on a curriculum, they're working in your curriculum," BloomBoard representative Lauren Patterson said, describing the program's portfolio-based, job-embedded approach. Patterson said partners named in the proposal for Pennsylvania included Point Park University and Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit for different credentialing pathways.

Patterson discussed costs and funding approaches in general terms. She said a short “Teach Start” pathway is "$2.50 per credit hour" and that the bachelor’s-degree completion pathway was quoted at "$5.68 per credit" on the vendor's pricing slide; she described a braided funding model that combines employee contributions (including FAFSA/financial aid), district contributions and workforce or apprenticeship funding to reduce district outlays. Patterson also described options to pay tuition up front to remove the barrier of employees having to front tuition and wait for reimbursement.

Committee members and staff discussed how the district’s current tuition-reimbursement budget — the district budgets roughly $125,000 per year and historically has expended about $94,000 annually — could be repurposed in whole or part to fund Grow Your Own cohorts. Tara Mossman, described in the meeting as the district cabinet member present, noted that the district already budgets for tuition reimbursement and that some districts move those dollars proactively into structured pathway programs rather than using reimbursement.

Public comments at the meeting touched on both fiscal planning and program design. In public comment, Thomas Trauger of East Rockhill Township urged fiscal restraint and long-term planning: "Smart, responsible planning today prevents larger burdens tomorrow," he said. Dan Biebernitz, a teacher from Hilltown who said he had experience with similar programs, urged lengthening the student-teaching/practicum segment beyond four weeks to better prepare candidates.

The committee directed staff to consider next steps: if the board authorizes a vendor contract, the administration would first survey employees in bargaining units to gauge interest and then return to the board with a budget recommendation for any cohort the district chooses to fund. No formal board action on a BloomBoard contract took place during the committee meeting; BloomBoard’s representative said a sales order and formal board approval would be required before any tuition payments would be billed to the district.

HR updates presented at the meeting included a monthly dashboard: staff reported 30 posted positions, 24 hires, seven resignations and three retirements for the month. The HR director said the dashboard will add a transportation-specific page next month with driver counts, routes, applicant status (CDL-related onboarding and behind-the-wheel training), and openings. Staff also reported planning a mid-December job fair, spring college recruitment fairs and early co-op onboarding for Upper Bucks Technical School students who will join Pennridge as part of a vocational cooperative program. Position-control work was described as in progress: administrators said 12-month employees, TAs/PCAs and nursing staff had been entered; elementary and secondary professional staff entries were expected to be finalized within a week.

Next steps noted by staff: survey employees about program interest, return budget implications to the personnel committee for review, and present any contract or sales order to the full board for approval.