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Human resources highlights special‑education residency program as pipeline strategy; district reports ongoing hiring progress
Summary
HR staff described a $248,000 budgeted special‑education residency apprenticeship, current cohorts and recruitment strategies; the district reported ongoing hires and roughly 50 vacancies remaining at the time of the hearing.
Mister Dan Swartz, presenting the human resources portion of the FY2026 budget, said the division’s operating budget will increase largely because of the continuation and expansion of a special‑education residency apprenticeship that staff budgeted at $248,000.
Swartz said the residency program — approved by the board last year — aims to develop homegrown special‑education teachers. He reported that the first cohort launched in January and two participants completed the first semester; feedback has been positive and the program pairs on‑the‑job learning (as paraprofessionals) with university coursework. Swartz said a second cohort attracted more than 50 applicants and that 11 candidates were invited to final interviews; he said nine of the 11 finalists are district employees and the program aims to enroll roughly 10 for the upcoming cohort.
Swartz described other HR strategies: reduced reliance on outside consultants for recruitment and professional learning, increased use of social media and internal pipelines, and stronger onboarding supports. He told the board the district has filled a large number of positions in the current hiring season and reported an outstanding vacancy count of about 50 positions at the time of the hearing.
Board members asked for follow‑up materials. Swartz said the district will include updates on residency outcomes, opportunity‑culture results and vacancy data in the board’s regular Friday updates so trustees can track progress and next steps.
No separate board action on HR budget lines occurred during the hearing; HR items remain part of the overall FY2026 proposal to be considered at final approval.
