Manassas Park schools report 79 new hires and outline targeted recruiting, retention concerns

CHRIS KOENIG, director of human resources for Manassas Park City Schools, presented staffing and recruitment data to the school board at a meeting this month, describing a new baseline for tracking hires and exits.
Koenig said the division hired 79 new staff members as the school year began and that 79 employees also left through retirement, resignation or nonrenewal, producing a reported staff retention rate of 84.6% for the 2024–25 cycle. "The data I'm presenting tonight represents our new baseline," Koenig said.
The division reported attending 13 in-person recruitment fairs and three virtual fairs during the 2024–25 year and launching an applicant-tracking system, Red Rover, last February. Koenig said every posting in Red Rover is shared automatically to LinkedIn through a new partnership and that targeted social posts and weekend recruiting events supplemented college fair attendance.
Koenig told the board the division hosted 24 college students for field experience last year and already has 16 scheduled to begin soon. He said the division awarded 19 hiring incentives this year to licensed candidates. "To make data driven decisions, we turn to the College Navigator website," Koenig said, describing how the office targets fairs with the largest relevant candidate pools.
On retention, Koenig said 64 staff members resigned during the year and that 18 of those left to work in another local school division; he said the majority of those resignations were among employees with roughly three to six years of experience. Koenig said the HR team will begin reporting exit data next year using the Virginia Department of Educationofficial exit codes, which list 18 reason categories, to allow more consistent analysis.
Board members asked about the selection criteria for career fairs, increasing diversity in hires and how recruiting work is balanced with principalsrunning schools. Koenig said the office researches majors and student demographics before committing to a fair, coordinates with neighboring divisions and uses rapid follow-up (resume photos, on-the-spot phone or Zoom interviews) to connect promising candidates with principals.
There were no formal board actions on the staffing report; board members thanked the HR team for the update and invited continued reporting and analysis.