Decatur and Morgan County schools filling vacancies faster this year

Jun. 18—Teaching positions in Decatur and Morgan County schools have been a lot easier to fill this summer than in the last few years, and district officials say early recruiting was the key in drawing in many new hires.

"I can't quantify if last year we had 30 openings at this date or 50, but it's less this year based on what the principals are telling me," said Decatur City Schools Superintendent Michael Douglas. "Some schools last year, they were hiring 11 people and now this year it's two. So the numbers are lower and we're in a pretty good place."

Some of the hires are an indirect result of a funding stream coming to an end.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government issued the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funds to school systems across the nation and they were received in three payments. School systems in Alabama received almost $3 billion.

Alabama schools will budget the third and final round of ESSER funds in September. Douglas said ESSER funds enabled his district to hire several interventionists during the pandemic. With the funds coming to an end, the school district had to discontinue most of those positions but was able to fill teaching positions.

"When those positions were dissolved, that helped us with the number of people we had to choose from to hire (for teaching positions)," said Deputy Superintendent of Instruction and Personnel Yvette Evans. "A lot of those interventionists are certified teachers."

Evans said the district hosted a career fair in April and was able to hire some certified teachers and non-certified positions such as bus drivers and custodians but said the most effective hiring method has been visiting with students in colleges and universities across the state.

"We picked up some people early, even before they graduated," Evans said. "The University of North Alabama is where we have gotten the most applicants."

Douglas said his principals deciding to hire early was also a factor in filling teaching positions.

"Last summer was the worst summer my principals have ever had," Douglas said. "There were a lot of retirements and a lot of people leaving. You would post a job and there would be two applicants and you've got seven openings. They were concerned of, 'If I don't go quick, there's going to be no one left.' So what happened is, they just (hired) earlier."

Evans said positions are still vacant for a district English as a Second Language (ESL) supervisor, athletic director, and two assistant principal positions at Austin and Decatur high schools.

Cliff Booth, human resources director for Morgan County Schools, said he feels more comfortable starting the school year with returning and novice teachers than he did last year and credited the Alabama Teacher Mentor Program for helping to acclimate them to the classroom.

"They have a veteran teacher who guides them throughout the school," Booth said. "When I first started teaching, they just put me in a room and said, 'Here's your books and your kids will be here on Monday.' It's changed now and we do a lot better job now of guiding and helping people."

Booth said they began using an application portal this year called Frontline Education and it helped them fill 69 positions last month. He said they posted 99 jobs this month: seven administrative positions, 46 certified personnel (teachers), nine bookkeepers or secretaries, five maintenance positions, three counselor positions, and 29 support positions like aides.

"Of that, we have filled 95 of those positions," Booth said. "We have a speech and language pathologist position posted on there and they are hard to find. That position may be posted all summer if we can't find someone and we may have to contract it out."

Four principal positions were filled Thursday and Booth said there are still vacancies for the assistant principal positions at Priceville Elementary and Brewer High School.

"We call that a domino effect," Booth said of promoting assistant principals. "We see that with cafeteria workers; we had three or four managers retire this year and so the assistant manager will move up. Well, that opens up the assistant manager position and we have to post for that. What happens is one person retires and we end up having to post for three different positions."

Booth said more qualified candidates have applied for teaching positions this year than last year, and applications for bus drivers and custodians have been up as well. He said they are still hiring for all positions.

"During COVID, I could post an elementary position and I wouldn't get five applicants," Booth said. "Now I'm getting 45."

— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.