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HR reports recruitment gains; board presses for retention work and rethinks Chromebook allocations
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Summary
HR reported hiring and recruiting metrics and a LinkedIn pilot; several board members urged urgent retention work and discussed cutting Chromebook allocations in early grades while preserving device access for assessments.
Jason, the district HR lead, gave the board detailed recruitment and retention context and described new recruiting tools and a retention pilot for speech-language pathologists.
Jason said the district issued 1,635 W‑2s in 2025 and made 274 hires that year (about 16.7% of those payroll records). He summarized recruiting strategies including job‑board postings, in‑person and virtual job fairs, and a six‑month LinkedIn recruiter pilot paid in part with federal Title funds. “We issued 1,635 w twos for employees ... We made 274 hires in 2025,” Jason said, and described efforts to speed hiring and streamline offers with digital workflows.
Board members stressed retention and morale as distinct problems from recruitment. One board member said he had compiled a list of 27 staff who had left (excluding retirees) and urged creation of a retention committee and outreach to former staff to learn why they left. “Retention is critical,” the board member said, and several colleagues agreed that discipline issues and staff morale are major drivers of departures.
The board also discussed Chromebook use and damage. A board member who had raised device reduction suggested pulling back some elementary devices (K–1) and maintaining check‑out pools to preserve device access for assessments. Staff described that the majority of classroom instruction at the elementary level is workbook or teacher‑directed with limited device use for assessment and targeted small‑group rotations; standardized tests such as FastBridge and MCA require devices.
Administrators noted building-level disciplinary protocols for repeat device damage and said a small number of students account for a disproportionate share of breakage. The district also plans to redeploy surplus elementary carts to the middle school (Forest View) to support needs there.
What’s next: HR and administration will provide follow‑up details on retention strategies and the planned pilot incentives for hard-to-fill roles; staff will return device‑use data by grade and model the proposed Chromebook reductions' impact on assessments.
