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Illinois School Board Journal
July/August 2006
Winning takes effort in hiring sweepstake
by Russ Fletcher
Russ Fletcher is a school/community relations specialist in Valley View School District 365U, Romeoville, and a member of the Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association.
High-quality candidates for district- or building-level positions can be looking for a unique array of incentives and district qualities. Competition for high-quality candidates in some areas can be intense, particularly for hard-to-fill positions.
So how can a district position itself to come out on top in the high-quality candidate sweepstakes?
For many candidates, relocating ultimately comes down to three C’s: cash, culture and community. While a total compensation package may be an integral piece of any administrator offer, even entry-level, classroom teachers will look at the bottom line.
Valley View CUSD 365U, about 35 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, nestles within an area that has seen sustained suburban growth over the past three decades. But even Valley View has struggled to attract, hire and retain high-quality teachers since its formation in 1972. With well-known, well-established districts in the area, it sometimes seemed like an insurmountable task to compete for high-quality candidates.
Becoming attractive
Over the past few years, several factors have combined to position Valley View as a district willing and able to compete for high-quality candidates.
Growing EAV - The district spans areas of both Bolingbrook and Romeoville, municipalities that support strong industrial, retail and commercial growth. This has resulted in the district’s EAV doubling between 1995 and 2005 to more than $2.1 billion. This annual EAV growth, which has approached 20 percent several years, has helped the Board of Education be competitive with neighboring districts on salaries and benefits.
Supportive community - District residents have approved two construction bond referenda and an education fund referendum in three consecutive years between 2000 and 2002. No additional referendum has been necessary since 2002.
Expanding needs - This fall, the district will open its 13th new educational facility and a transportation center since its formation. With all these new classrooms to fill, Valley View has expanding capacity to attract, hire and retain hundreds of certified personnel.
But beyond these factors, which some may argue are community attributes outside their control, the district has taken important programming steps to make itself more attractive.
With the implementation of NCLB requirements for highly qualified personnel, Valley View began to review, modify and strengthen an existing mentor and professional development program that eventually became one of the first approved by the Illinois State Board of Education. The program fulfills all requirements for teachers with initial certificates to proceed to standard certification.
Once the program was established, Valley View began to gain a reputation for fostering collaborative environments within its buildings. One example of this is that both high schools initiated programs to facilitate cross-curriculum planning and staff collaboration.
Annual surveys of new teachers show that nearly all indicate the induction and mentor program was a key factor in coming to Valley View, and that it was also a significant factor for success in the classroom.
In addition to program efforts, administrator teams visiting college campuses this past year were aided by mobile 7-foot picture panels and four-color brochures. These marketing aids projected an exciting family feel that should appeal to the candidates the district wants to attract. When possible, administrators also teamed with young classroom teachers who were alumni of the specific college being visited.
Strategic communications plans initiated several years ago also called for the implementation of internal and external communications projects to foster a feeling of connectedness between buildings and grade levels. In addition, recognition programs for staff and opportunities to collaborate on curriculum and other program committees help staff feel valued and validated.
In the end, it has not been just one thing that the district did to help it seem more attractive to prospective candidates. This has been a concerted effort on the part of everyone to move Valley View up on the hiring sweepstakes "winner" list.
Comprehensive efforts to improve the climate, culture and communication in Valley View 365U have resulted in higher-quality candidates, greater job satisfaction and higher retention of high-quality candidates. This, in turn, has resulted in lower costs to the district by lowering recruiting costs.
The comprehensive effort to attract, hire and retain high-quality candidates has brought many rewards to the district, which in turn will continue to provide benefits to the students, schools and communities for many years to come.