Teacher pathways abound
Schools across the country are struggling to find teachers, but the Holyoke School District Board of Education learned at its Aug. 16 meeting that there are more pathways into the education field now than ever.
The teacher shortage is going to become an even bigger issue in the next few years, said Superintendent Kyle Stumpf. While Holyoke School District’s first choice is to find a qualified certified teacher, there are also other ways to find teachers.
People who have already put down roots in a rural community are more likely to stay in that community for the long term, said Stumpf.
“There’s a lot of different methods and modes to be able to get get somebody qualified if they’re the right fit for your community, and I think the state is looking at as many different ways as possible,” he said.
There are so many different options for someone to become a teacher that it can be individualized based on the candidate.
At the time of the meeting, Holyoke School District had five teachers going through four different teacher pathway programs.
Five years ago there weren’t these options, said Stumpf.
However, he cautioned the board that teachers who took a traditional route may show some animosity at some point if so many noncertified teachers are getting the same pay.
In thinking about homegrown talent, board president Dusty Sprague said that the district may want to try to grow its substitute list and see if any of the substitutes would eventually be a good fit as teachers. A higher wage for substitutes wouldn’t hurt either, he said.
Sprague said that while the district compares its wages and salaries to other school districts, they haven’t regularly compared it to other industries in the county or state. It would also be a good time to look at the cost of living, he added.
Holyoke School District took a nontraditional route to fill a music position this year. At the Aug. 16 meeting, the board approved Pat Wiebers as a band teacher contracted from the Haxtun School District for two periods a day.
“We are extremely grateful to the Haxtun School District that we can use Pat Wiebers,” said JR/SR high Principal Angie Powell.
Others who are already in the district will help fill in the gaps. Elementary music teacher Emily Krogmeier will take on fifth and sixth grade band, JR/SR high math teacher Maury Kramer will teach some choir, and retired music teacher Marcia Dalton is continuing with the show choir.
A similar situation is happening in the JR/SR high school science department after a resignation last school year. Science teacher Amanda Brown is taking on a bit more, math teacher Jimmy French is now teaching some science, and other areas will be filled in with online options.
At a special meeting Aug. 23, the board approved the hiring of Matthew Ramirez as an elementary physical education teacher for the 2022-23 school year.
Homegrown Talent Initiative work to continue
Even though the Homegrown Talent Initiative grant wrapped up this summer with a final presentation July 25-26 in Frisco, Holyoke will continue to build on the foundation it has laid with the program.
Stumpf said that Holyoke will be showcasing its HTI progress to other districts this fall, and he feels really honored with the work local students and staff have done. “This work has been evolving over the last three years,” he said.
Because Holyoke School District was already a part of HTI, it could be a partner for Northeast BOCES to apply for a Rural Coaction Grant. NE BOCES received $2 million of the $6 million available.
The funds will be split between the 12 member districts in NE BOCES, and other districts will be using Holyoke as a guide to launch their own homegrown talent programs.
Stumpf said Holyoke will receive $180,000 to use for the next two years to continue honing in on HTI work. The plan is to introduce programs to Holyoke Elementary School students and give them opportunities for career awareness. Kids will ultimately be able to start a profile that they can build on year after year.
“We’re just getting started,” said Dusty Sprague. “It will really make the school and the community as one.”
As an example of how to build on HTI, the board learned about how math teacher Maury Kramer took a class about integrating geometry and construction. He came back to his classroom on fire about how he can use that in his classes.
The board watched two videos about HTI, and it was noted those videos will be put on the school website and sent to the local chamber.
Activity bus purchase approved; driver wages increased
At the Aug. 16 meeting, the board approved the purchase of a used activity bus not to exceed $70,000.
A few of the comments from board members included the possibility of branding the bus in addition to block letters, the equal use of the bus between different sports and activities, and ways in which to check a bus when purchasing it sight unseen.
The board also approved wage increases for bus drivers, based on a proposal from transportation supervisor Summer Struckmeyer.
In the past many years, it is known that commercial driver’s license holders who are certified are difficult to come by, she said, noting that if drivers are paid well, they will stay.
Approvals included:
— From $15 per hour to $20 per hour for CDL endorsement holders on activity trips.
— From $40 per route to $45 per route for substitute CDL route bus drivers.
— $15 per hour for coaches and non-CDL drivers when driving a van or minibus to activities.
“My goal as a superintendent would be to provide a CDL bus endorsed driver for all of our activities,” said Stumpf.
Other business
In other business at the Aug. 16 meeting, the board:
— Approved the resignation of elementary P.E. teacher David Mauler, effective Sept. 5.
— Approved the resignation of Bryan Beckner as a high school football coach and Mauler as the head boys golf coach.
— Approved Colbey Stumpf as the head boys golf coach and Oyuki Rangel as a volunteer high school cheer coach.
— Approved nonresident student applications and transportation requests for 2022-23 for Presley Bornhoft, Wyatt Gordon, Delani Perez, Lylianna Perez, Jeylani Goytia Nevarez and Adriel Goytia.
— Discussed policies that reference admission and enrollment processes.
— Heard a fourth-quarter financial report from Ben Rahe, budget and finance director.
— Noted that rough sketches of a new trophy case display will be ready for the board to look at soon.
— Noted progress is being made on a donor wall and a laser cutter engraver will be installed soon for the project.