Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District ramps recruitment with large stipends to fill speech-language positions; HR outlines 2025–26 hiring
Summary
Human-resources staff reported 90 new hires in 2025–26, continued substitute shortages (particularly medically fragile paraprofessionals) and a targeted program offering multi-year stipends (up to $30,000 annually plus $10,000/year for four years) to recruit speech-language pathologists and convert contractors to staff.
Human-resources leaders told trustees the district made substantial hiring progress in 2025–26 but still faces shortages in specialized positions and substitutes.
The HR presentation summarized 90 new hires across the district this year, noted large numbers of part-time assignments translating to fewer full-time-equivalent positions, and spelled out ongoing recruitment challenges for special-education roles and single-subject secondary areas. HR staff said instructional aides and certain classified roles made up a significant share of new hires, while secondary math, science and special-education teaching hires remain harder to fill.
To address a critical shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) — a high-cost contracted service that the district seeks to convert to in-house staff — the district has proposed a multi-year incentive package. The recruitment deal discussed included a $30,000 annual stipend for an initial period, and an additional $10,000 per year for four years (staff explained the intent was to make conversion to district employment financially competitive with contracting expense). HR said hiring one in-house SLP can generate substantial savings versus long-term contracted services.
HR also reviewed onboarding volumes (49 certificated substitutes and 53 classified substitutes reported onboarded), FTE/assignment counts that show 183.9 FTE and 261 assignments in the classified bargaining unit, and internal promotion activity. Officials said they will continue summer recruiting and will return with progress updates at the start of the school year.
What’s next: HR will continue recruiting the remaining critical positions, provide an update in fall or the first meeting after school starts, and implement recruitment/retention strategies aimed at converting contracted SLP services to employees when possible.
