Maintenance and operations staff told the Ferguson-Florissant School District Board of Education on Tuesday that pay, misclassification and unfilled positions are causing experienced employees to leave and creating safety and financial risk for the district. The board heard the concerns during public comment and then received staffing updates from human resources.

The district’s office manager of operations and maintenance, Debbie Weaver, told the board she has worked for the district more than 18 years and said neighboring districts are “poaching our staff with better pay and proper classifications.” She said the department recently saved the district “over $60,000” on in-house repairs but that losing technicians raises the risk of longer downtime, higher vendor costs and potential lost instructional days.

Weaver said one HVAC technician already left and another with 20–25 years’ experience planned to leave within two weeks. Janelle Harris, an office professional in operations and maintenance, added that paying contractors “$120 an hour per person” to do work the in-house team currently performs would be far more expensive than retaining district employees.

Chief human resources officer Katie Chambers told the board the HR team is tracking vacancies against the board-approved staffing numbers and said many unfilled roles are being held while enrollment data is cleaned so the district does not overhire. Chambers reported 48 long-term substitutes districtwide, six of whom are enrolled in certification programs, 16 retired permanent substitutes, and seven provisional licensed teachers in their first year. She said the district is investing in mentorship, partnerships with local universities and targeted hiring training for operational roles.

Superintendent Fields told the board the administration will revisit district restructuring from 2018 and that more information and engagement with staff and the community will follow. Board members and staff discussed short-term steps to reduce contractor reliance and longer-term retention strategies.

Discussion-only items included requests from staff for corrected classifications, a denied temporary pay adjustment referenced by Weaver, and calls for immediate action rather than “waiting another year.” Directional items included HR’s commitment to develop mentorship programs, supply professional development for long-term substitutes and provide hiring training for operational departments. No new compensation package or formal board action on reclassification or raises was recorded at the meeting.

The record shows the board asked administration to explore options to reduce the district’s reliance on outside contractors and to report back; HR indicated it will continue active recruitment and retention work.

The public comments and HR presentation together framed the issue as both an operational risk and a budget concern, with staff urging faster action to avoid larger costs and service interruptions.