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Home > Blogs > Springfield Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > November > 14 > Entry
Financial woes have affected district hiring
Financial problems in the city schools have impacted Springfield’s hiring because of recalls and a perception of instability, Wendy Ford, Director of Human Resources, told board members Thursday night.
Ford made a presentation about the district’s hiring practices in response to questions raised by the Coalition for Justice and Equality in October that the district had “displaced” black leadership and does not have enough diversity on its staff.
Springfield schools has been under state oversight since 2005 because of financial difficulties and has laid off many employees because of finances and in an effort to “right size” the staff to a declining student population, said Ford.
The district’s hiring practices are governed by negotiated agreements with bargaining units, state law and the civil service test regulations.
The district’s contracts with bargaining units call for current employees to have the option to transfer to an open position first, said Ford. Then the position is offered to laid off employees on a recall list.
“We’ve had a number of people on our recall lists,” she said. Currently there are some classified staff members — aides, secretaries, custodians, etc. — still on recall lists, but no teachers, or certified staff members, remain on the list.
After current and recalled employees, the job is posted publicly for an open application process, said Ford.
For certified staff members, Ford and the building principal look over all applications and choose the candidates to interview based on certification, qualifications and experience. Then an interview team, typically made up of teachers, administrators and curriculum coaches, conduct interviews.
The team selects a candidate and Ford has final approval.
For administrators, the team recommends two or three finalists to the superintendent who makes the final selection.
Otis Williams, chair of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, asked why some recently vacated position had not been posted and some people had not been considered for those jobs.
“That was my main concern that all those wanting to be involved have the opportunity to be considered,” he said.
Interim Superintendent Don Thompson said time constraints had put some limitations on temporary hires this school year.
“Time some times is of the essence in order to get an individual and that may play a factor,” he said.
At least three of the district’s administrators are interim employees currently. The board will launch a national search later this month to replace Thompson and Interim Campus Director JoEtta Cooper with permanent selections.
Former district employee Tom Payton, another interim employee, is temporarily overseeing duties that had been handled by former Director of Student Services Mattie White, who left abruptly in August to take a principal position in a Dayton suburb.
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By LizardKingLives
November 14, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this
Wait a minute…SCS has been under state oversight since 2005 for financial difficulties and I am hearing about heads rolling. The previous superintendent retired, she should have been fired for mismanagement of our schools and tax dollars.Now the heads of the board and administrators need to roll, because this is an outrage.Spflders understand this that the community is dying and to revive it you need to start at the schools first.Companies will not come to a community with a poor school system and you are very miss informed if you think that companies do not examine the schools of an area before they plan to move or build operations there.Schools should be first and foremost on the agenda and from the sounds of things SCS needs new leadership across the board and I do not care what sex, color, race, etc etc etc they are as long as they produce positive results.