Pennsbury says staffing is improved overall but special‑education vacancies remain; district expands grow‑your‑own programs

The Pennsbury School District presented its annual staffing update at the Sept. 18 action meeting, reporting overall gains in recruitment and targeted programs aimed at filling hard‑to‑staff positions.

Dr. Gibson told the board the district is close to fully staffed across most operations. The district listed a total of about 930 employees within the PEA (Pennsbury Education Association) bargaining unit figure that includes full‑time substitutes, and noted that the number used in retention slides (contracted staff count) is lower because it excludes full‑time substitutes.

Why it matters: Staffing levels affect classroom coverage, special‑education services and transportation reliability. The district highlighted targeted "grow‑your‑own" programs designed to convert paraprofessionals and other local employees into certified teachers in hard‑to‑fill areas.

Transportation and vacancies Dr. Gibson said transportation operations now show 87 driver positions covering 79 CDL routes, and the district added eight floater (substitute) driver positions to reduce route cancellations and delays. She reported that all classes are covered and bus operations have made progress since prior shortages.

The update identified continuing vacancies in specialized roles: special‑education teachers, a teacher of the deaf/hard‑of‑hearing, certified school nurses, speech pathologists, psychologists and board‑certified behavior analysts (BCBAs). Dr. Gibson said the district is using emergency certifications and expandin g grow‑your‑own pathways to fill those posts.

Grow‑your‑own and apprenticeship programs The administration described multi‑year grow‑your‑own and apprenticeship programs developed with local universities to train paraprofessionals and other staff for certification in special education and related positions. The policy and personnel committee recommended adding four additional slots to the teacher apprenticeship pipeline (agenda item 9d), a recommendation that was part of the board's consent agenda and approved by roll call at the meeting.

Ending The district characterized retention trends as improving and said it would continue recruitment, apprenticeship programs and targeted outreach for hard‑to‑fill special‑education positions. The administration also noted an agenda item appointing Michael Gorski as chief financial officer, effective Oct. 1, which the consent vote approved.