BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — St. Leo University and now Grand Canyon University are helping school district employees obtain degrees and certifications.
This can include support employees who have no degree or some college experience, long-term substitutes who want to join the profession, and teachers who are teaching out of field and need to obtain certification or recertification.
The discussion was held during a school board retreat discussion about teacher recruitment and hiring.
Human Resources Director Aimee Ferguson said almost all the district’s long-term substitutes have taken advantage of the opportunity.
Helping employees stay on track with certifications is one way the district is supporting its teaching staff. This includes in-person checkups to discuss progress and available resources as well as periodic emails.
For the Professional Development Certification Program, 20 tasks and subtasks amount to around 100 submissions over three years. It’s a big accomplishment that amounts to about three years majoring in education to become a teacher.
There are dozens of participants. Director of Professional Development Christina Cornwell currently meets with more than 40, but she said the are 72 in years one, two or three or who are new to the district. Day-to-day support is coming to school campuses. Cornwell will meet with a teacher trained in clinical education at each campus once a month who could turn around and offer daily support on site.
Cornwell said they have reached out to the Bradford County Education Foundation for help in recognizing employees who complete the certification program. There are also developing standards for a Rookie of the Year Award, a recognition of a new teacher who when above and beyond in their first year.
The district reimburses teachers for obtaining reading endorsements and other credits as well. They also have free access to study for exams.
Florida’s Teacher Salary Increase Allocation has assisted in retaining employees, Ferguson said. Even more experienced teachers benefited, she said, which was more difficult to accomplish in prior years. The state was focused on increasing pay for beginning teachers, which led to compression in the pay scale.
School Board Member Sheila Cummings brought up the importance of diversity when recruiting teachers, and the department will do more to reach out to gradates at historically Black schools to let them know Bradford is here and ready to hire them.
Superintendent Will Hartley said what human resources has accomplished in the past two years is reflected by the lack of vacancies compared to other districts, include some large districts that are struggling hundreds of vacancies and crowded classrooms.
Redistricting workshop Monday
The Bradford County School Board and Bradford County Commission will hold a workshop at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27, to discuss redistricting. The workshop is open to the public and will take place in the boardroom at 501 W. Washington St. in Starke.
