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District outlines Grow Your Own staff supports, tuition reimbursement and wearable panic buttons under Alyssa’s Law
Summary
Jennifer Ellis described Grow Your Own programs that offer tuition reimbursement (up to $6,000), in-house CPR training and maintained health insurance for those doing unpaid student teaching; district technology staff demonstrated wearable panic buttons compliant with Alyssa’s Law, with different alert levels and location mapping.
During a community-resources presentation, Jennifer Ellis described several staff-support initiatives aimed at recruiting and retaining district employees.
Ellis said the district does not pay student teachers but provides supports that ease the pathway to licensed teaching, including a study group for instructional assistants to achieve ‘‘highly qualified’’ status, in-house first-aid and CPR training delivered by the district head nurse, and a Grow Your Own program that offers tuition reimbursement up to $6,000 for employees pursuing education degrees. "We maintain their health insurance benefits" while employees take time for student teaching, she said, and the district sponsors special-education endorsements with mentors and practicum support.
When asked about retention, Ellis said the program is recent and "we haven't had anyone leave yet." She described the program as boosting the district’s ability to fill hard-to-staff positions, particularly in special education.
District technology staff described a new Bell TA system that integrates wearable panic buttons and meets requirements under Alyssa’s Law. The devices can be worn on lanyards, support multiple alert levels (including a lockdown trigger that activates 911), provide a location on a map, and can lock doors via the keycard system during a lockdown. Staff said the district hopes to expand the devices through grants and other funding.
Board members asked for statistics on retention and for budget details to support potential district-wide rollout; presenters said some programs have only been operating for a short time and retention statistics are limited. Next steps include continued monitoring, possible phased rollout of safety devices depending on funding and follow-up reporting to the board.
