Human Resources presented the district’s annual staffing report, a point-in-time snapshot pulled Oct. 29, 2025, showing 672 total staff, equal to 629 full-time-equivalent positions. HR said teachers are the largest employee group (343 employees, ≈339 FTE) and paraprofessionals number 121 (≈104 FTE).

Erica Strand (HR) and her colleagues said the district experienced a net FTE change of -4.74 year over year, primarily a reduction of about 6 teacher FTE in non-classroom or district-level roles (counselors, instructional coaches) aligned with projected enrollment declines. At the same time, paraprofessional FTE increased to provide additional special education supports.

HR reported hiring 40 new teachers this year; over 70% of new hires hold a master’s degree or higher (up from ~63% the prior year). The report also noted that 31 of the new hires had five or more years of experience, and the district has a mix of early-career and experienced teachers.

On diversity, HR said 35% of new teachers are teachers of color and overall teacher diversity is about 20%, while 80.29% of teachers identify as white. Staff said a new multirace reporting category changed how percentages are displayed and urged that the change accounts for some of the shifts; board members asked HR to analyze whether apparent declines reflect reporting changes or actual attrition of educators of color and requested retention and exit-survey data.

Board members urged HR to provide clearer visualizations and retention metrics showing who returns year to year, and to investigate reasons staff of color may be leaving the district even as the district notes successes in hiring and leadership development.

Next steps: HR will review the data in response to board questions, examine exit and retention information, and return with clarifications and recommended reporting formats.