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Barstow Unified personnel commission details recruitment shortfalls, expands outreach
Summary
At a personnel commission meeting, director Mr. Ortiz said vacancies and candidate drop-off at each hiring stage have left the district short-staffed; the commission heard that 84 candidates qualified to test for paraprofessional roles but only about 40 tested and even fewer are likely to be hired, prompting expanded recruitment into Victorville and nearby communities.
Barstow Unified’s Personnel Commission heard from Director Mr. Ortiz on persistent staffing shortfalls and the district’s efforts to expand recruitment reach.
Mr. Ortiz reported that the district currently has 380 classified positions filled, including 163 full-time eight-hour positions, 119 benefited part-time roles and 83 non‑benefited positions, plus 15 classified management employees. He said security had no vacancies, safety had three vacancies being scheduled for interviews, and custodial had three active vacancies following a recent retirement. He also said three interviews are in progress, five recruitments are in testing, and two recruitments remain open.
On paraprofessional (PARA) hiring, Mr. Ortiz said 84 candidates qualified for testing but only about 40 actually showed up for the test, and that further drop‑off is expected during qualification checks and offers. Commissioners flagged the district’s reliance on short-hour postings — including three‑and‑three‑quarter‑hour positions — as a deterrent for many applicants and a driver of turnover. “Not all 40 are going to pass,” a commissioner said, noting multiple stages where candidates leave the pipeline.
To widen the candidate pool, Mr. Ortiz said the district used the ZipRecruiter platform and expanded recruitment coverage by posting the vacancy in Victorville and outlying communities, which produced more applicants but also added competition from nearby districts. He cited ZipRecruiter data suggesting a limited local candidate pool and said the office had to target a broader geography, including nearby communities with larger labor markets.
Mr. Ortiz also briefed commissioners on other recruitments underway: campus safety assistance testing is complete and testing for translator/interpreter and sub‑caller positions is in progress. He said the sub‑caller recruitment already had roughly 50–80 applicants and that interviews for certain NSW classifications are scheduled later in the month.
The commission discussed the practical constraints of part‑time roles and the cost of recruitment advertising. Mr. Ortiz said the district spends roughly $60–$70 per hire for online recruitment posting and screening in some searches and that certain management searches require higher advertising costs.
The commission did not take a formal vote on a staffing plan at the meeting but acknowledged the need to continue outreach, coordinate with district HR and IT for onboarding improvements, and monitor candidate conversion rates from application to hire. The meeting moved on to other agenda items and later into closed session.
