New Haven schools report fewer vacancies than last year but stress retention and ‘grow‑your‑own’ recruitment

New Haven Public Schools officials told the Board of Alders' Education Committee on Aug. 27 that the district began the 2025‑26 school year with fewer vacancies than at the same point last year but remains focused on retention and recruiting for hard‑to‑fill subject areas.

A district presenter, joined by Lisa Flagler, director of human services and labor relations, and Relyna Booker, coordinator of recruitment and retention, gave a snapshot of vacancies and described initiatives to recruit and retain staff. The presenters said the district started the prior school year with 198 vacancies and began the current school year with about 156 vacancies; classroom teacher vacancies dropped from 77 to 50, while non‑classroom teacher vacancies fell from 19 to 9. Paraeducator openings were reported at 35 this year, down from 45 the prior year. The presenters noted a small increase in noninstructional vacancies (60 this year versus 54 last year) and attributed some of those to newly added positions and to civil‑service hiring processes that lengthen fill times.

District officials emphasized several contributing factors to staffing change. They said a rightsizing…