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Springfield HR details recruitment push and para‑to‑teacher pipeline to address teacher shortage
Summary
Human Resources presented recruitment strategies (local job fairs, HBCU and Puerto Rico outreach, billboards and targeted ads), supports to help paraprofessionals become teachers, and grants and MTEL supports intended to boost certification and retention.
Chief Human Resources Valerie Williams and HR staff presented a comprehensive recruitment, retention and training briefing to the school committee.
Williams outlined outreach channels—local events, regional and national career fairs, targeted advertising (billboards, radio, social media) and targeted recruitment at HBCUs and Hispanic‑serving institutions, including visits to Puerto Rico. Roberto Ortiz and HR staff described pipeline programs that place paraeducators into paid internships and community‑college programs; Springfield partnered on a $2.2 million grant with UMass Amherst to support paraeducator‑to‑teacher pathways.
HR emphasized supports to help candidates meet certification requirements: MTEL prep courses and vouchers, one‑on‑one vendor tutoring under a $73,000 grant for transforming diverse educator pathways, and self‑endorsing SEI and structured guidance courses for special education licensing offered to district staff at no charge. Williams said the district’s EPIMS data shows steady growth in educator diversity (cited around 44%), and she highlighted a paraeducator placement program with near‑100% placement for participants in a local community college pipeline.
Committee members asked for additional breakdowns (annual hire/exit rates by demographic, average educator age) and praised the outreach strategy. HR said it will provide requested hiring/retention data for committee review.
