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Fremont County 25 HR director: new hiring system shows heavy referral hiring, modest exit rates
Summary
HR director Lindy Nielsen told the board the district’s new personnel system provides a two‑and‑a‑half year baseline showing recruitment seasonality, a reliance on employee referrals for applicants, and approximately a 10% exit‑survey response rate; she outlined onboarding changes and recommended targeted retention work.
Lindy Nielsen, Fremont County School District #25’s director of human resources, presented an update on the district’s personnel data at the Nov. 11 board meeting, saying the district now has 2½ years of analytics from a new electronic application and personnel system.
Nielsen said hiring follows a predictable season: a competitive recruitment window from January through April for certified staff, a busier classified hiring period in May–August, and a project season now to prepare for the busy months. “We’ve hired 83 people in 2024 and 65 in 2025,” Nielsen said, and added that when she arrived in 2023 the district hired far fewer (19 that year). She said the district has hired 106 people since implementing the new system.
The HR director said employee referrals are the leading source of applicants and that the district’s efforts to improve orientation and onboarding have contributed to stronger applicant pipelines. Nielsen told the board the district refreshed its HR/payroll web pages and added applicant‑facing resources including a daycare and rentals database to make it easier to apply.
On departures, Nielsen said exit surveys are optional and the district’s participation rate is about 10 percent — roughly 60 respondents in the most recent cycle — and 85.4 percent of respondents said they would consider returning to work for District 25. Top reasons cited for leaving were personal reasons, relocation and stress or job insecurity; Nielsen said qualitative feedback suggested classified staff often feel under‑onboarded.
Nielsen outlined changes the district has made to reduce hiring friction, including revised background‑check procedures and a lengthened orientation day for new staff. She said the HR team will add tracking for retirees who return as substitutes and is planning a spring follow‑up on orientation feedback. Board members requested regular briefings on program outcomes and recommended adding a short, anonymous orientation survey for new hires.
The board did not take formal action on the HR report; Nielsen asked for board support for continued outreach and retention work.
