Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Durham schools report 237 vacancies; district pursuing international teachers and special-education pilots
Summary
Human resources reported 237 current vacancies, including 113 teacher openings, and described recruitment strategies that include partnerships with local universities and a J-1 international teacher pilot for special education supports.
Kim Hager, the district's HR lead, told the board Tuesday that Durham Public Schools had 237 open positions at the time of the meeting and outlined recruitment and hiring efforts aimed at reducing classroom vacancies.
"We have 237 overall vacancies," Hager said. She said 113 of those were teacher vacancies (84 general-education teachers and 29 special-education teachers), with about 30 instructional assistant vacancies and 94 other positions such as occupational therapists, school counselors and media coordinators.
Hager said the district is staffing vacancies with competent substitutes, interim teachers working toward licensure, long-term substitutes and rehire retirees while continuing to recruit fully licensed staff. She described outreach efforts including a recent partnership event with North Carolina Central University and said HR will work with principals to run on-site mini job fairs where vacancy concentration warrants.
Board members asked how this year's vacancies compared with prior years; Hager said the numbers are comparable but that the district is pursuing "out-of-the-box" solutions including increased engagement with NCCU and a J-1 international teacher program. Hager said the district has more than 200 international teachers systemwide and that a pilot placing international special-education teachers in three schools is underway with planning by district leaders.
Hager also said weekly vacancy reports are distributed to school and central-office leadership and that the HR team coordinates with school leaders to cover classrooms and support interim staff. "We send out a report every Sunday night about vacancies," Hager said.
Board members asked about certification paths for instructional assistants and the potential to expand pipeline programs; Hager said the district is looking at creative part-time and job-share arrangements and at ways to move instructional assistants toward certification.
Hager and board members emphasized retention and payroll continuity: HR staff was working to ensure newly hired employees receive timely paychecks and to maintain support for long-term substitutes and interim staff during recruitment.
