Recruitment Solutions Reimagined (2024)

The nationwide staffing shortages have significantly affected local educational agencies (LEAs), and while the effects vary in severity, the challenges of serving students without the appropriate staffing resources have been detrimental to public education and student outcomes. Depleted hiring pipelines, nonexistent hiring pools, and multiyear vacancies signal that staffing difficulties are here for the long term. LEAs are faced with vacant positions and may be compelled to utilize underprepared educators who lack subject matter competence, training, and experience. For classified employment, vacancies can trigger the cancellation of critical services in special education, transportation, facility maintenance, and a lack of student supervision. 

The most concerning outcome of the staffing shortage is the explosive uptick in reliance on outsourcing staffing needs through agencies and vendors, which is especially prevalent in positions serving students with disabilities (SWDs). Many contracted service providers are brought onsite with short notice to meet the demands of the special education program, are high in cost, and are of low quality or effectiveness. Special education departments attempting to achieve risk mitigation by filling vacancies within days or hours may find the new contractor is underqualified, unskilled, and inexperienced, leaving LEAs vulnerable to litigation risk despite their best efforts.

This new webinar shifts the focus from human resources (HR) and special education standard industry practices and disrupts the traditional approach to recruitment and retention, with a focus on internal activities and operational practices that can address hiring barriers and support maintaining quality staff. Training content focuses on practices for monitoring staffing to ensure effective position control processes, how to identify and remove hiring barriers, developing selection processes that create pathways to employment, and how to address overreliance on agencies for staffing needs. Discussions will also include the unique staffing needs of special education programs, suggestions for effective communication between departments, and strategies to train and retain staff with relevant capacity to support SWDs.

This webinar is intended for practitioners who are involved in special education staffing and HR staff responsible for recruitment and hiring practices. The webinar will include a roundtable discussion that will allow participants to ask questions and interact with the presenters and other attendees in a community of practice discussion.

Cancellation Policy