Hobbs Municipal Schools officials told the school board on Oct. 21 that the district is expanding multiple recruitment and retention programs to address teacher shortages and classroom vacancies across the district.

District HR officials presented recent vacancy figures and a suite of initiatives — including a state-recognized Grow Your Own apprenticeship, the LEAP alternative-licensure program, partnerships with New Mexico Junior College and Eastern New Mexico University, and site-based mentoring and coaching — designed to move paraprofessionals and other local candidates into licensed teaching roles.

Why it matters: Board members and staff said the programs aim to produce classroom-ready teachers more quickly than traditional pathways and to reduce dependence on out-of-area recruiting. The district framed the efforts as part of a long-term staffing strategy tied to local workforce development and retention.

Human-resources director Mr. Barrett reported current openings and staffing movement, saying the district has “22 classroom vacancies” at the elementary level and “seven additional in elementary special education,” though the transcript contains an inconsistent phrase that referred to “a total of 20.” The district acknowledged the numbers in the transcript are internally inconsistent and presented the figures as the HR report provided that night.

District staff described the “Grow Your Own” program (launched in 2022, with Hobbs cohorts beginning in February 2024) as an apprenticeship pathway that allows paraprofessionals employed by the district to earn college credit while remaining on the job; the district pays tuition and fees up to the junior-college level and partners with Eastern New Mexico University for the four-year pathway to a teaching credential. Program leaders said cohorts have grown each year and that a group of participants at Eastern is expected to be eligible to enter classrooms in 2026.

Staff also explained LEAP (Leading Education through Alternative Pathways), an 11-month New Mexico Public Education Department–accredited program run through Cooperative Educational Services (CES) that places participants as the teacher of record while they complete intensive, hands-on training. A district presenter said LEAP emphasizes practical classroom strategies and one-on-one coaching; she singled out participant testimonials describing immediate classroom benefits.

Other elements described included:
- Traditional higher-education alternative routes through New Mexico Junior College (NMJC), Eastern New Mexico University and others; NMJC’s program was described as structured to fit working teachers’ schedules (roughly one class per semester for two years for elementary pathways).
- On-the-job mentoring and monthly professional-development support provided through CES’S SITE (School Improvement Technical Expertise) visits and the district’s monthly new-teacher meetings. Staff said SITE trainers observe classrooms, provide coaching and run monthly mentor training sessions.
- Financial incentives and recruitment supports such as moving stipends the district described as ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on certification and teaching area.
- Local “future educators” outreach at the high school, including a program that provides internship experiences and a written invitation for student-teachers to reapply to Hobbs after college.

Board discussion also addressed housing as a recruitment barrier. Superintendent Daniel Strickland said the district has had early conversations with local public partners about possible “essential housing” for public-service employees and noted that the Public School Capital Outlay Council’s teacher-housing initiative is paused pending study. Strickland said such partnerships are being explored but no district program to build teacher housing is finalized.

District staff said they have revived in-person exit interviews this year to gather reasons staff leave and to identify retention measures, and they reported that ongoing recruiting includes in-state college fairs and targeted recruiting in El Paso, where some newly hired teachers have been recruited.

Board members asked clarifying questions about how long pathways take and whether substitute/long-term substitute staff are eligible for Grow Your Own; staff confirmed principals are encouraged to nominate long-term substitutes and paraprofessionals who express interest. Staff also said the district provides additional compensation for paraprofessionals serving in long-term full-time roles.

The presentation closed with board appreciation for the programs and no formal action was taken that night on the staffing items.

Ending: District leaders said they will continue to report cohort outcomes and to track how many pathway participants move into permanent classroom positions in 2026.