- September 7, 2024
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With the school year to begin in less than three weeks, Flagler Schools has 11 open teacher positions. It’s a shortage, but not a severe shortage, Superintendent LaShakia Moore said.
At the July 23 School Board workshop, district Human Resource officials presented the board with various analytical data involving Flagler Schools’ workforce.
In addition to 11 instructional vacancies that the district is advertising, Flagler Schools also has 21 non-instructional job openings and three professional/administrative vacancies.
Three years ago, the district had 4% of its instructional positions unfilled and 11% of its non-instructional positions unfilled. Now the percentages are 1.3% and 2.2%, respectively, Chief Human Resources Officer Robert Ouellette reported.
“The worst issues with our hiring are behind us,” Ouellette said.
Ouellette said larger districts have more pronounced labor shortages. Flagler County also has a geographic advantage, he said, being situated between two larger counties with employees able to live in different areas.
Thirty-five district employees, including 23 with professional certifications and 11 with temporary certifications, were not reappointed for the upcoming school year. Board member Colleen Conklin asked how many of the teachers who were not reappointed were rated highly effective. Ouellette said a large number received that rating because less than 10% of teachers statewide are rated effective or below.
Conklin said if the non-reappointments are highly effective there needs to be an explanation as to why they are not being renewed.
“As we look at a shortage, a teacher crisis … we should not be in the position where we’re not renewing folks who have received a highly effective (rating) where students are receiving assessments that are high achieving,” Conklin said. “And you’re tarnishing someone’s reputation who was highly effective in the classroom. It says to me it’s personality driven.”
“I would definitely say it’s not personality driven,” Moore said. “Especially right now as we are looking at making adjustments to our teacher evaluation and we’re making adjustments to our administrative and professional evaluation, when you think about work ethic, the way I interact with others within the organization, my professionalism, I could get zeros across that whole section and be highly effective, but does that person represent the mission, vision, and guiding principles of the organization? And so when I look at it, it’s just not about, are the students performing?”
Of the employees who were not renewed “a percentage” had a misconduct investigation, Ouellette said.
Conklin said it would be interesting to see how may of the non-reappointments were highly effective, especially during a teacher shortage.
We do have a need for educators across the state. But we are in no means in a place of desperation. We are still in a place to be extremely competitive and identify individuals who represent the mission, vision and core values of this organization.”
— LASHAKIA MOORE, Flagler Schools superintendent
“We do have a need for educators across the state,” Moore said. “But we are in no means in a place of desperation. We are still in a place to be extremely competitive and identify individuals who represent the mission, vision and core values of this organization. We need educators coming here but we are not in a place of desperation. We want the best for our students.”
“I wouldn't have an issue with that,” Conklin said. “But it sounds like we have an issue with the evaluation tool.”
The HR team also broke down the ages and longevity of the district’s employees. In all three staffing groups (instructional, non-instructional and administrative/professional), the largest percentage of employees fall in the 46-55 age group with 33.2 percent of teachers (294 of the district’s 885 instructors) landing in that age group.
Yet, 401 teachers — 45% — have been employed by Flagler Schools for just three years or less, and 426 of the district’s 769 non-instructional employees — 55% — also have been employed here for three years or less.
With 60% of the instructional staff between the ages of 36 and 55, the district seems to have an experienced teaching staff, said Toussiant Roberson, the district’s administrator on assignment for organizational talent. But a large number of the staff gained most of its experience elsewhere.
“That zero to three (years) is representing the fact that we are pulling from other districts, and so some of their more experienced personnel are coming to Flagler County,” Roberson said.
Some retired teachers and administrators from other states are moving here and getting jobs in the Flagler County School District, Ouellette said. Moore suggested some others may have switched careers.
“Not that we made this connection,” Moore said, “but I think it also speaks to some of the work being done in the state to attract individuals coming from alternate certifications.”
Only 31 teachers in the district are 25 or younger, and they wouldn’t have had time to have a previous career, Moore said, while many of the older teachers may be in a second career.
“When I see this, it goes back to why it is so important to focus on standard operating procedures," Moore said. “Making sure all these individuals coming into this workforce are being properly onboarded and knowing what’s expected of them.”
More district employees retired at the end of the 2023-24 school year than had retired in the two previous years. Fifty-one employees — including 25 teachers — retired at the end of the school year. A total fo 42 employees retired the previous year and 38 retired in 2022. Seventy-two employees, including 48 teachers, are currently in the Deferred Retirement Option Program.
Finally, the HR team presented exit survey data for employees who resigned form April 2023 to July 2024. Of the 286 surveys that were sent out, 106 responded. Of those, the most cited reason for leaving the district (38 of the respondents) was personal. Twenty-three cited relocation, 14 cited inadequate salary and 11 were retiring.
