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District outlines recruitment, certification and retention steps including career fair, retiree intent form and certification support
Summary
Talbot County Public Schools staff described recruitment and retention efforts—intent forms, a career fair, national board certifications and partnership outreach—to address hiring gaps and new certification requirements.
Talbot County Public Schools staff detailed recruiting and retention activities during the Jan. 13 work session, citing recent and planned steps to improve hiring pipelines and to support existing staff through changing certification requirements.
Dr. Horsey (Human Resources) described an intentional plan of outreach and supports, including sending intent‑to‑return and retirement forms to all TCPS employees, upcoming job‑fair participation, an on‑site career fair scheduled for Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m., and partnerships with nearby institutions. He also outlined internal supports such as mentor check‑ins, a senior teacher waiver the district is preparing, and an emphasis on certification tracking given changes to licensure requirements that affect ESOL, special education and early childhood staff.
Why it matters: district leaders said recruitment and retention are key district priorities because teacher and staff shortages directly affect program delivery, academic supports and the district’s ability to meet Blueprint objectives. Staff linked some budget requests (ESOL positions, coaches, and a certification specialist in HR) to findings about staffing needs and the operational burden on existing personnel.
Key recruitment and retention items
- Career and recruiting events: Staff said they will attend regional job fairs (College Park and others), and the district will host an on‑site career fair Thursday evening. Recruiters will target both traditional teacher candidates and community partners that may supply paraprofessionals and other staff.
- Certification and licensing: Dr. Horsey and other staff said recent state changes to teacher certification increase demands on instructional assistants and teachers in areas such as the science of reading; the district plans to track renewals and to add a certification specialist in HR to handle roughly 100 annual renewals and new certification processing.
- Retention tools and apprenticeships: The HR team plans increased check‑ins for staff in their early years with the district, mentor program supports, and the issuance of a senior teacher waiver to help retain experienced teachers. HR reported that the number of national board certified teachers in the district rose from three to 15.
Quotes from the meeting
- Dr. Horsey (Human Resources): “We are going to be going to College Park. College Park has a pretty big job fair... We are also gonna be going to [regional events].”
- Dr. Horsey (on internal processes): “We will be sending out intent forms to all of our TCPS employees on Wednesday.”
What’s next
Staff said they will continue outreach to higher‑education partners, track certification changes and support staff with onboarding and mentorship. The HR office tied its planned certification specialist request to a larger budget conversation and said additional recruitment details and candidate pipelines will be discussed at upcoming events and meetings.
