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Norfolk reports progress on staffing at underperforming schools; 12 schools still have multiple vacancies
Summary
Administration updates board on nonnegotiable measure 2 (teacher fill rates): progress since the first day of school, recruitment strategies including early contracts and teacher residencies, and ongoing prioritization of schools with accreditation conditions; 12 identified schools still report more than one vacancy.
The Norfolk School Board received two monitoring updates tied to board nonnegotiable number 2, which aims to reduce low teacher fill rates and extensive substitute use at underperforming schools.
Dr. Agnew Scott and colleagues reported the first interim measure (2.1) tracks the share of schools accredited with conditions that are not fully staffed with licensed teachers by the first day of school. The administration said none of the identified schools were fully staffed on the first day of the 2024–25 year, though hiring since then has reduced vacancies: 78% of the identified schools reported zero classroom vacancies at the time of the update. The administration attributed some gains to associate teachers obtaining licensure and to ongoing recruitment.
On the second interim measure (2.2), which tracks whether underperforming schools make extensive use of substitutes without high‑impact staffing strategies, the administration reported a 7.8 percentage‑point improvement from the prior year and noted that six identified schools are now reporting one or no vacancies since the first day of school. However, 12 schools still had more than one teacher vacancy.
Planned next steps include prioritizing identified schools in recruitment, issuing early contracts to secure licensed candidates, using targeted marketing (including geofencing) to reach candidates nationally, expanding teacher residency programs funded by grants, and holding spring hiring fairs for the next school year. Board members asked for school‑by‑school vacancy lists; administration said monthly HR reports provide that data and will continue to be distributed.
The board did not take a formal vote on the staffing measures; the items were informational updates and will continue to be monitored.
