Education
BY CHLOE YOUNG
LISD prioritizes recruitment, retention Leander ISD experienced an increase in teacher vacancies and turnover following the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and amid a state- and nationwide teacher shortage. rates from a few school years ago, according to LISD data.
Zooming out
A closer look
What’s next
This school year, the district will begin paying for teachers to receive their national board certification, which allows teachers to receive $2,700- $3,900 a year through the Teacher Incentive Allotment, Eggeling said. The district will also explore whether to join the TIA through listening sessions with teachers and administrators, she said. Joining the TIA would allow some LISD teachers who display high performance to receive thousands in additional funding. LISD has received a grant to pilot UTeach this school year—an alternative certification program through The University of Texas at Austin that aims to fill secondary math and science teaching positions, Gibbs said. “We’re always looking at how we can get the best teachers in front of our students in Leander,” Gibbs said.
The district saw recent improvements in reten- tion that remained relatively unchanged for the 2023-24 school year, according to LISD data. LISD has seen more former teachers returning and improvements through its Spirit Cultural Exchange program that recruits teachers from other countries and its Grow Your Own program, which pays for district employees to receive teach- ing certification and is focused on critical shortage areas, such as math, science, special education and bilingual positions, Eggeling and Gibbs said.
At nearly 34%, the district’s largest cohort of teachers for the 2023-24 school year had 0-5 years of experience, according to LISD data. The district has sought to support new or less experienced teachers through assigning them mentors and instructional coaches as well as allowing them to view model classrooms and learn from more experienced teachers’ instructional practices, Eggeling said. Additionally, the district has hired uncertified teachers who may teach in the district as they work to complete an alternative certification program over the course of a year. These programs help individuals who are knowledgeable in a cer- tain subject area learn teaching skills, Gibbs said. “We have seen an increase in the need for cer- tification waivers,” Eggeling said. “Although I will say this year we have fewer certification waivers than we did last year, so we feel like we’re going in the right direction.”
The district has employed the following methods to recruit new teachers:
A high cost of living in the area alongside increased inflation has been the driving force of the issue, Chief Human Resources Officer Karie Lynn Eggeling said. There has also been a decrease in the number of college students pursuing degrees in education, she said. Teachers stress levels have also increased, said Lisa Gibbs, executive director of talent acquisition and employee support.
Recruiting teachers from across the country through two recruiters
The district’s retention rate for teachers rose from 78.8% to 83.9% from the 2021-22 to the 2022-23 school year and remained somewhat flat last school year at 83.8%. However, challenges remain, with the district seeing a steady year-over-year teacher turnover rate of about 16% in 2023-24, which is higher than
Attending and hosting job fairs
Providing a $1,250 stipend to student teachers and an additional $1,250 stipend if they are hired by the district Providing a $200 stipend to new teachers to help them set up their classrooms Presenting to college classes ahead of graduation Staying in touch with former high school students in the district’s Ready, Set, Teach program Posting on the district’s website, social media and Handshake hiring platform
Teacher turnover in Leander ISD
25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0
Retention in Leander ISD
21.22%
Teachers
All positions
Other staff
16.22%
16.1%
14.69%
100%
9.29%
80% 60% 0
SOURCE: LEANDER ISD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
2022-23
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2023-24
2019-20
2021-22
2023-24
HYMEADOW 12611 Hymeadow (512) 506-8401
NORTH 620 10601 N FM 620 (512) 506-8316
CEDAR PARK 13530 Ronald Reagan Blvd (512) 986-7681
ARBORETUM 10515 N Mopac Expressway (512) 342-6893
Powered by FlippingBook