West Chester Area SD approves LinkedIn pilot, outlines competency-driven hiring and transfer rules
Summary
District staff told the school board it will run a five-month LinkedIn recruitment pilot in 2026, switch to SchoolSpring as an applicant-tracking system, use competency-based screening for a Fugate principal search and prioritize displaced teachers before external hires.
The West Chester Area School Board heard details Thursday about a new recruitment push and changes to hiring practices that administrators say are intended to expand candidate pools and standardize screening.
22So, on LinkedIn, we are signing a contract with LinkedIn,22 the district presenter said, describing a five-month pilot that will run from February through June 2026. The presenter said the pilot will allow district jobs to be posted on LinkedIn, with three featured postings at a time, and that the negotiated cost of about $6,500 is built into next year27s budget.
The presenter said the district will also adopt SchoolSpring as the applicant-facing tracking system, which feeds Indeed, to help reach hourly and custodial candidates. For administrative and certificated roles the district plans to 22feature22 positions to increase visibility.
In the search for the Fugate principal, the district described a competency-driven selection process that evaluates candidates on five areas: communication and community engagement; equity-centered instructional leadership; operations and resource management; people and culture development; and strategic data-driven decision-making. The district reported 12 applicants for the posted Fugate position and said the applicant pool includes candidates with collectively more than 70 years of administrative experience.
Administrators said phone screens will be scheduled in January, with a goal to extend an offer by mid-February and target start dates from April to July. The district will require confidentiality agreements for selection-team members and will provide implicit-bias training.
On teacher hiring, the presenter described an effort to keep an 22open funnel22 so a larger, continuously updating eligibility pool feeds principals, using competency-aligned vidcruiter questions and weekly HR screening. School-based selection is expected to begin in March, with offers as early as March 10.
The board was told voluntary transfer windows will be limited to support placement of displaced teachers first: internal candidates may participate in staffing and interviews following staffing meetings; but if more displaced teachers exist than openings in a subject area, displaced teachers will be placed by cabinet members and external hiring or voluntary transfers will not begin until displaced teachers have secured roles. Between May 2 and June 30, transfers will require the consent of the appropriate cabinet leader, the presenter said.
Board members praised the emphasis on competencies and asked about training and orientation for principals and hiring teams. The presenter said training sessions will be provided for principals and assistant principals and that HR will supply tools to make screening more efficient.
The board did not take a separate formal vote on the pilot or selection-process changes during the meeting; the LinkedIn pilot cost was described as included in the next fiscal-year budget proposal.
