District reports 18 IA openings, eight special-education teacher vacancies; staff discuss substitutes and transfers

At the Sept. 26 personnel committee meeting, Miss Haaf reported specific vacancy counts and described how the district is managing coverage while it recruits permanent staff. “Now we have 18 instructional assistant vacancies. We have eight sped teacher vacancies and 4 SSO vacancies,” she said.

Board members asked whether subcontractors and substitutes are filling the gaps, particularly in autistic support and high-school science. Miss Gardner said temporary staff are helping to cover those roles until certified teachers or instructional assistants are placed. She described these temporary placements as necessary while recruitment continues.

A board member asked whether the district conducts exit interviews for staff who transfer between buildings; Gardner said she typically does not but can arrange voluntary follow-ups if desired and if the union does not object to asking members questions they are not required to answer.

Committee members requested that staff provide additional recruitment and retention updates, including outreach to recent local graduates and any findings from voluntary exit conversations.