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District reports hiring and retention gains; $2 million allocated for behavior supports and recruitment pipelines
Summary
District HR presented staffing data showing 2,684 employees (1,235 teachers), retention efforts including 30 "just-in-time" interventions that retained 28 employees, a $2 million allocation for behavior personnel, expanded 'grow your own' STARS program, and recruitment/mentorship strategies to diversify candidate pools.
A district staffing update to the Cedar Rapids Board of Education outlined current employee counts, turnover drivers, and multiple retention and recruitment initiatives the district is using for the 2025–26 school year.
A staff presenter reported the district employed 2,684 people this school year, including 1,235 teachers and 71 administrators. The presenter said about one-third of staff have fewer than four years of experience and noted one teacher with 52 years of service. He said the staff pool is less racially diverse than the student body: the district’s staff was described as about 85% white while students are about 55% white, with higher proportions of Black, Hispanic and multiracial students among enrolled students.
On departures and retention: the presenter said retirement accounted for roughly 14–18% of separations depending on the year, while career changes and mobility were the largest nonretirement reasons. Human resources reported 30 “just-in-time” interventions last year with 28 employees reconsidering resignations and staying on staff.
To address behavior challenges and retention, the district allocated $2,000,000 for personnel to support behavior interventions. In addition, the district used previously adjusted staffing funds (a “backpack” fund) to add 99 positions and another 59 positions tied to the $2,000,000 behavior allocation.
Grow-your-own and licensure strategies: the district described alternative and pipeline pathways including native-language authorizations, Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways for professionals from industry, and expanded student-teacher placements. The STARS initiative (Students, Teachers, Admin, Retention and Succession) currently serves about 100 students and aims to expand pipelines at Kennedy and Jefferson. The district reported about 700 lane changes submitted annually by teachers (an internal pay/placement process) and said lane-change coursework is offered locally to support staff advancement.
Recruitment and substitutes: HR said it maintains a pool of roughly 250–300 active substitute candidates and is pursuing both increasing that pool and reducing demand through behavior interventions and building-level staffing. The district is also actively attending college and career fairs and arranging earlier contact with prospective teachers so they enter the district pipeline before the broader hiring market.
Board members asked for clarification about how percentages were normalized across years and discussed targeting recruitment to increase candidate diversity; the presenter said efforts include college outreach, host-family supports for student teachers and local partnerships with higher education. The board asked for continuing updates; no formal action was taken beyond the informational presentation.
