The Sioux City Community School District board on June 23 received a human resources report showing 46 open instructional assistant positions concentrated in specialized special‑education settings and discussed recruitment and onboarding measures to reduce turnover.

Staff member Barb Kasky told the board the vacancies are fluid and the online position list updates as offers are accepted. "It does update based off of its fluid movement of things. So if someone's offered and the position's accepted, it changes at that moment," Kasky said.

Board members flagged instructional assistants and food service as large vacancy categories. Director Vanden asked whether the openings reflected market wages or other factors; Kasky said the district has not completed a market analysis but is preparing a classified recruitment campaign. Kasky said the largest share of the 46 openings are for the district’s more intensive special‑education programs — Compass Academy and Foundations — and that those roles are paid an additional stipend (an extra $1.10 per hour) for the specialized work.

Kasky described an expanded onboarding plan for paraprofessionals: "we're spending a day or 2 with them before we ever send them into a classroom that they're expected to work in to make sure that they understand clearly what the expectations are and what the needs of our students are," she said. The pre‑classroom orientation will include de‑escalation strategies, an overview of special‑education services, personal‑care basics and relevant medical or behavioral procedures. The district said it uses CPI training for behavior support.

Board members asked for more detailed vacancy breakdowns by school level (elementary, middle, high and districtwide) so the board can track where openings are concentrated. Director Miller and staff agreed to develop a sample template and bring it to the board leadership or relevant committee rather than update raw numbers weekly.

Board members also noted competition from local private providers, including newly opened ABA centers, and acknowledged those centers may pay higher wages. Kasky said some staff have left for private ABA providers that are recruiting locally and paying more. The board approved the human resources report by unanimous vote and directed staff to return with recruitment metrics and a template that buckets vacancies by level.