Miss Gardner, presenting to the William Penn SD personnel committee on Sept. 26, said the district has seen strong applicant flow and some progress placing staff for the 2024–25 school year. “We received 876 applications for certified positions and 234 applications for noncertified positions,” she said, and added that “between 07/01/2024 and today, we've placed 69 candidates across school buildings for this school year.”

Gardner named three recently filled critical administrative roles: school safety supervisor Tracy Pratt, who replaced Gary Ricards; Dr. Corey Haley as assistant principal of the PLC; and Brian Sandman as technology supervisor. She emphasized that instructional positions remain the district’s greatest need.

Gardner also addressed teachers who had been working under emergency permits: 23 certified teachers were hired for the 2024–25 school year, and of 28 teachers on emergency permits in 2023–24, 22 had completed required coursework by August 2024, moving toward full certification.

The committee did not take formal action during the presentation. Board members asked clarifying questions about recruitment strategies for instructional assistants and whether district staff were pursuing candidates from local high schools; Gardner said Penwood High School graduates had been contacted and at least one graduate had taken a support role in the registration department.

The personnel committee scheduled no additional votes; Gardner and staff said they will continue recruitment and return with regular updates.