Hiring Season: The Annual Educational Hunger Games

 

"Don't tell my replacement where the good pens are until they've earned it."

    - A Retiring Teacher I Used to Work With Many Years Ago


Every spring, as the anxiety over state testing (and the pollen count) rises, something else begins to happen in Arkansas public schools.  Hiring season.

As a Superintendent, I've learned to recognize the signs.  Principals start walking a little faster.  District administration develop a thousand-yard stare.  Retiring teachers start acting like they have found the fountain of youth, and somewhere, a spreadsheet is opened that will not be closed again until July (at least we hope it is closed by then).  

Welcome to staff turnover season.

The Positives:  Fresh Ideas and Fresh Energy

A lot of people see turnover as a negative, but there is good news.  Hiring season is an opportunity.  Every new teacher, bus driver, paraprofessional, cafeteria worker, etc. brings fresh energy into our buildings.  They bring new ideas and perspectives that were absent before.  Who knows, they may be able to fix the copier without verbally berating it first.

Turnover gives us a chance to refine and realign our teams.  We can rethink roles to align personal strengths with school needs.  I have written on the topic of relationships in education before.  So, it stands to reason that hiring the right people isn't just important, it is everything.  

Honestly, sometimes change is exactly what a school needs.  New perspectives can challenge "the way we have always done things," which can sometimes mean our long-standing practices of laminated hall passes from 1999, overhead projectors, 15 year old lesson plans, and others, will be scrutinized.  Which is a good thing.  

While change can be scary, it is also reinvigorating.  As humans, we tend to tend to fall into a comfort rut.  We stick with what we "know."  Once we see the prospect of "better, " our drive and creativity are unlocked.  

The Negatives:  Timing, Talent Pools, and Mild (and not-so-mild) Panic

Hiring staff in a rural school district in Arkansas isn't like shopping on Amazon.  It is more like browsing a yard sale.  You are hopeful, but you have no idea what you are going to find.  

Certain positions (math, science, special education) can be exceptionally difficult to fill.  Timing matters.  Losing a teacher in April?  Manageable.  Lose a teacher in late July?  That is when this Superintendent begins stress eating snacks that have been in my desk drawer since 2021.  While only having one applicant does make the decision easier, it does NOT lower the stress level.  

A very wise former superintendent gave me the following advice:  "Never hire the best of a bad lot."  His point was that hiring the wrong person just to fill the spot is a mistake.  You will be causing more problems that you will solve. I know that is true, because I can think of one hire in my career where I can honestly say that leaving that position vacant would have been better.  However, practicing it is extremely hard.  We are all optimists during hiring season.  You want to see the best in everyone.  We always hire on HOPE.  Each and every hire is a gamble.  The interview process is there to help us determine what our odds of success are.  

"Never hire the best of a bad lot" is addressing the challenge of fit.  An applicant may look great on paper, but not mesh with the culture of the campus.  Culture matters.  A school is an ecosystem.  One mismatch can feel like when a major league baseball team makes their first baseman pitch.  Technically possible, but anyone with their eyes open knows it isn't right.  

 Change is an Opportunity

Change creates challenges.  No doubt about it.  It keeps us on our toes, but it also forces us to adapt and improve.  Change disrupts our comfort, but it also creates momentum.

Some of the best hires we've made came from unexpected vacancies.  Some of our strongest teams were built after periods of change and transition.  Some of our most successful initiatives started because we had to rethink how we were doing things. Hiring season is messy and unpredictable.  It is also one of the most important things we do.  Schools succeed or fail because of the people in the building.  Every hire is a chance to make our schools stronger and our students more successful.  Welcome to hiring season!


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