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Highlands County schools report 36 instructional vacancies and lay out retention plan
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Ball told the school board the district has 36 instructional vacancies (12 elementary, 24 secondary) and outlined recruitment partnerships, Grow Your Own pathways, substitute staffing and retention strategies — including mentoring, leadership pipelines and exit‑survey analysis.
Dr. Ball briefed the Highlands County School Board on staffing levels and retention efforts, saying the district began the 2526 school year with 28 vacancies and currently lists 36 instructional vacancies, of which 12 are at the elementary level and 24 at secondary levels. “We currently have 36 instructional vacancies,” Dr. Ball said, noting five were temporarily covered by long‑term substitutes and that principals report interviews and imminent hires that should reduce the number.
The superintendent described recruitment channels the district uses: partnerships with South Florida State College’s elementary education program and university interns from UCF and FGCU, a cultural exchange teacher program (TPG) that supplied about 30 teachers at the start of the year, and a Grow Your Own program at high schools that offers para‑professional pathways and tuition support for staff pursuing AA degrees. “We offer the para pro to any of our graduating seniors who are looking at maybe becoming an instructional support person,” Dr. Ball said.
On substitutes and on‑boarding, the district ended the year with about 272 substitutes and processed 136 during the year, and Dr. Ball said the district will continue to monitor vacancy data to optimize staffing and operational continuity. To retain staff she emphasized sustained, high‑quality professional learning, mentoring for assistant principals and principals, quarterly training, and identifying administrators for the Commissioner’s Academy.
Dr. Ball highlighted a program that reviews temporary certificate holders’ requirements and individual meetings: the HR team met with 54 teachers last year to discuss steps to upgrade certification. She also described exit‑survey findings: of 65 employees who completed an exit survey through July 13, 2526, 65% said they agreed they had access to job‑relevant professional learning, 80% would consider working for the school board in the future and 78% would recommend working there. Reasons for leaving included relocation (8), inadequate salary or benefits (14), family or personal reasons (23), stress (2) and supervisory dissatisfaction (3).
Dr. Ball framed the retention push as a multi‑tier strategy: adjust the salary schedule over time, intentionally recognize and celebrate staff, provide individualized certification support, analyze exit interviews for systemic issues, and build leadership pipelines. “Once we get them here, we want to be able to keep them,” she said.
The board took no final action on staffing beyond receiving the report; members asked questions and thanked staff for the briefing.
