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Board presses administration on long‑term vacancies and proposed reclassifications
Summary
Directors pressed administration on multiple central‑office and maintenance vacancies noted as open since 2021; Alexis Howard described planned reclassifications and Mike McNamara said the district has relied on overtime and contractors while recruiting.
Directors used the Dec. 10 agenda‑review meeting to press administration for details about long‑term vacancies and proposed reclassifications in central offices and maintenance departments.
Director Talifaro noted several positions marked vacant since 2021 and asked whether roles should remain in the 2026 budget if recruitment is unlikely within a year. Alexis Howard, who identified herself as "Alexis Howard, director of talent management," said the highlighted positions on the vacancy spreadsheet would continue to be funded but the administration is working with hiring managers to redefine some roles and reclassify jobs to match current operational needs: "Those ones that are highlighted in yellow...we will still be utilizing those funds, but looking at reclassifying those positions into different jobs," she said.
Mike McNamara, the district’s chief operations officer, described maintenance roles as particularly difficult to fill after retirements and turnover. "We either use more overtime to cover the work that we need to do, or we put it out to outside contractors to do that work," McNamara said, and added the district has negotiated with unions on shift patterns and is developing plans to increase staffing while reducing overtime.
Directors and staff also discussed hiring barriers such as city‑residency requirements that limit candidate pools and can result in long vacancies; several directors expressed concern about burnout among remaining staff who absorb additional duties. Board members asked the administration to consider whether continuing to budget positions that have been vacant for multiple years remains prudent if no realistic recruitment timeline exists.
What happens next: administration signaled it will continue recruitment and bring refined job descriptions and reclassification proposals as part of budget planning; no formal staffing decisions were made at the agenda review meeting.
Sources: Alexis Howard and Mike McNamara remarks at the Dec. 10, 2025 agenda‑review meeting.
