William Penn SD personnel committee details staffing gaps, tenure awards and timeline for contract talks
September 27, 2024 | William Penn SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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Miss Gardner, presenting at the William Penn SD personnel committee meeting on Sept. 26, reported recent hiring figures and current staffing shortfalls while outlining a timetable for upcoming contract negotiations.
"We received 876 applications for certified positions and 234 applications for noncertified positions," Miss Gardner said, adding that the district placed 69 candidates since July 1 for the 2024-25 school year. She noted three recently filled administrative posts: Tracy Pratt as school safety supervisor, Dr. Corey Haley as assistant principal of the PLC, and Brian Sandman as technology supervisor.
The district still faces significant instructional staffing needs. "Our greatest need remains instructional positions," Miss Gardner said, describing outreach to recent Penwood High School graduates and reporting that 23 certified teachers were hired for the year. She said 22 of 28 teachers who had been working on emergency permits for 2023-24 completed required coursework by August 2024.
On vacancies, Miss Haaf reported building-level openings: 18 instructional assistant vacancies, eight special-education teacher vacancies and four school-safety officer vacancies. Staff from Kaye Cross's team are providing temporary coverage while the district recruits permanent placements.
Board members raised concerns about pay for instructional assistants and staff turnover. Unidentified Speaker 2 asked whether the district has discussed increasing pay "to be more competitive in the workforce." Miss Gardner said wage discussions are scheduled as part of collective-bargaining cycles: "Their contract expires in June 2025, and those negotiations are set to begin in January," and she confirmed IA salary is "at the top of the list to discuss."
The committee also announced non-staffing items: 10 teachers gained tenure this year (Rachel Albert; Krista Carpenter; Robin Federolf; Dominique Knoefel; Tracy Labose; Madison Lally; Donna Rossi; Kristen Salvato; Christine Weckelsblatt; and Mary Winchester), and the new-teacher induction program began Sept. 18 at Penwood High School with 25 participants. The induction meets the first Wednesday of each month from 4 to 6 p.m. and concludes May 7; completion is required to convert an instructional 1 certificate to instructional 2.
On labor timelines, Miss Gardner said an Act 93 meeting occurred Sept. 24, the school-safety-officer group has a tentative Oct. 16 meeting, and the district hopes to finalize multi-year agreements for some groups by December. Teacher (WPEA) negotiations are ongoing and ESPA talks for IAs and secretaries are scheduled to begin in January.
Unidentified Speaker 1 asked for interim updates for the board before contracts are finalized; Miss Gardner confirmed an October update had been planned. With no further comments, the committee adjourned.
The personnel committee did not take any formal votes at this meeting; contract outcomes and any changes to staffing budgets will depend on forthcoming negotiations and subsequent board action.
"We received 876 applications for certified positions and 234 applications for noncertified positions," Miss Gardner said, adding that the district placed 69 candidates since July 1 for the 2024-25 school year. She noted three recently filled administrative posts: Tracy Pratt as school safety supervisor, Dr. Corey Haley as assistant principal of the PLC, and Brian Sandman as technology supervisor.
The district still faces significant instructional staffing needs. "Our greatest need remains instructional positions," Miss Gardner said, describing outreach to recent Penwood High School graduates and reporting that 23 certified teachers were hired for the year. She said 22 of 28 teachers who had been working on emergency permits for 2023-24 completed required coursework by August 2024.
On vacancies, Miss Haaf reported building-level openings: 18 instructional assistant vacancies, eight special-education teacher vacancies and four school-safety officer vacancies. Staff from Kaye Cross's team are providing temporary coverage while the district recruits permanent placements.
Board members raised concerns about pay for instructional assistants and staff turnover. Unidentified Speaker 2 asked whether the district has discussed increasing pay "to be more competitive in the workforce." Miss Gardner said wage discussions are scheduled as part of collective-bargaining cycles: "Their contract expires in June 2025, and those negotiations are set to begin in January," and she confirmed IA salary is "at the top of the list to discuss."
The committee also announced non-staffing items: 10 teachers gained tenure this year (Rachel Albert; Krista Carpenter; Robin Federolf; Dominique Knoefel; Tracy Labose; Madison Lally; Donna Rossi; Kristen Salvato; Christine Weckelsblatt; and Mary Winchester), and the new-teacher induction program began Sept. 18 at Penwood High School with 25 participants. The induction meets the first Wednesday of each month from 4 to 6 p.m. and concludes May 7; completion is required to convert an instructional 1 certificate to instructional 2.
On labor timelines, Miss Gardner said an Act 93 meeting occurred Sept. 24, the school-safety-officer group has a tentative Oct. 16 meeting, and the district hopes to finalize multi-year agreements for some groups by December. Teacher (WPEA) negotiations are ongoing and ESPA talks for IAs and secretaries are scheduled to begin in January.
Unidentified Speaker 1 asked for interim updates for the board before contracts are finalized; Miss Gardner confirmed an October update had been planned. With no further comments, the committee adjourned.
The personnel committee did not take any formal votes at this meeting; contract outcomes and any changes to staffing budgets will depend on forthcoming negotiations and subsequent board action.
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