HR outlines hiring steps, highlights associate‑teacher pipeline and new teachers’ stories
Summary
Human Resources reported steady teacher retention near 89%, new recruitment practices (golden‑ticket hiring, intention notices) and expand 'grow‑your‑own' pathways; three recent associate‑teacher completers spoke about transitioning into full‑time classrooms.
Amanda Shilling and her HR team told the board the department has reorganized into talent acquisition, employee relations and HR information/technology to better support strategic workforce goals and to move toward higher first‑day fill rates.
Shilling said Norfolk’s retention rate has hovered near 89% for the last three completed school years and that the division seeks to improve toward a strategic target (~91%). To address vacancies and early hiring, HR has reinstated intention notices, sent an early notice to staff (more than 900 responses), accelerated timelines for offers and is using ‘‘golden ticket’’ hiring events that provide on‑the‑spot offers and begin parts of the onboarding process immediately.
The HR presentation highlighted multiple pipelines: the iTeach alternative licensure pathway, ODU teacher‑in‑residence (a yearlong placement), Granby High’s 'Educators of Tomorrow' pipeline, Norfolk Technical Center programs and partnerships with local colleges. At the time of the presentation HR reported 45 university‑instructor placements and dozens of associate teachers enrolled or in residency.
Several recent associate teachers addressed the board. Tiffany Sumler, a first‑year science teacher at Lake Taylor School, said the iTeach pathway "made that dream possible" and described daily classroom growth she sees in students. Morgan Dinsmore and Jakayla (and Janiyah) White described how associate programs and mentorship moved them into classroom roles.
Board members pressed HR on staffing equity: how the division is targeting schools that regularly have high vacancy rates and whether staff reassignments will factor in seniority and performance. Shilling said HR intends to balance retention with school needs and said planned financial incentives and right‑sizing should raise fill rates over the next three years; she described talent‑acquisition specialists dedicated to targeted college and community recruitment.
HR also described procedural changes intended to streamline hiring: digital onboarding, centralized fingerprinting/badging, and removing a pre‑employment substance test for some DOT positions to speed placements. The board did not vote on HR items at the workshop.
