The Board of Education of the ______________________ is committed to hiring the best qualified candidates to fill available positions.

I. Statement of Policy

The Board of Education will employ relatives of staff members already employed by the school district if they are the most qualified candidates for available positions and have completed the recruitment and selection process in the same manner expected of other applicants. These relatives will not be employed in positions in which they will either directly supervise or be under the direct supervision of their family members.

II. Definition of Family Member

A family member, for this policy, shall be defined as any one of the following:

Wife or husband Grandparent

Son or daughter Father-in-law

Grandchild Mother-in-law

Father Son-in-law

Mother Daughter-in-law

Brother Sister

III. Exceptions to Policy

The Board of Education, recognizes that specific child, school, or legal demands may call for exceptions to this policy to meet needs adequately. If this occurs, the Superintendent of Schools will be responsible for administering those situations and will communicate those situations to the Board of Education at a reasonable time after such decisions have been made.

The board desires an active recruitment policy to attract the best possible candidates. The screening of these candidates should result in the improvement of professional staff and a balance in experience, geographical background, etc.

I. Recruitment

A. Determination of vacancies shall be made at the earliest possible moment.

B. Recruitment of candidates

1. The successful candidate will be the person with the best qualifications for the position.

2. A recruitment brochure will be prepared and widely distributed.

3. Individuals known to our staff (former employees, professional contacts, friends, etc.) should be used as sources for the recommendation of candidates.

4. When desirable, advertisements in professional magazines and city newspapers may be placed to attract candidates.

5. Selected college placement offices may be used to interview candidates on those campuses.

6. Finalists may be invited to the district for an interview.

7. Recommendations of candidates by present school personnel will be given consideration.

8. Present and former employees will be considered as candidates for openings.

II. Screening

A. Candidates will be screened by administrators.

B. Visits to selected universities may be conducted for the purpose of interviewing prospective candidates. The interviewers will bring back the credentials of candidates they believe we should consider.

C. All inquiries regarding applications or vacancies should be forwarded to the superintendent, who will respond with a letter indicating whether the position is presently vacant. Upon receipt of the application, the superintend will review the application and if it is acceptable, will request that credentials be forwarded to us.

D. All applications will be filed by the superintendent’s secretary; the location of each application should be noted when it is out of the central file.

E. Interviews will be given by the principals in every case. The interviewing principal will have the responsibility of sending a post-interview letter to the applicant.

 

III. Competencies

A. Knowledge of subject matter and of new developments in that subject area.

B. Knowledge of new ideas and developments in education and efforts to implement them.

C. Knowledge of children and their patterns of behavior, growth, and learning.

D. Interest in and commitment to public education and to children.

E. Understanding of instructional responsibilities, including establishment of objectives; levels of student performance; teaching through a variety of media and materials to allow for individualized attention and encourage individual progress; proper use of special personnel; evaluation of both the curricular program and student progress.

F. Willingness to accept professional responsibilities such as supervising student teachers; working with interns, aides, or volunteers; participation in experimentation, research and continued self-development.

G. Ability to work with staff members, to take constructive criticism and act upon it, to see oneself as a member of a team, to establish positive relationships with parents and the community.

IV. Employment

A. The superintendent will have an opportunity to interview all candidates. Prior to hiring, each finalist should visit the district.

B. Prior to offering a position, the superintendent, principals and, if appropriate, the department chairperson will meet to discuss the merits of the candidates. Final selection will be made by the superintendent.

C. The superintendent will offer the position and establish the salary with the finalist; salary will not be discussed specifically by principals, although they may wish to show the candidate the salary schedule.

D. Following board approval, the appointment notice will be prepared in duplicate for the signature of the clerk of the board. The original and copy will be sent to the teacher, who will sign one copy and return it to the superintendent. This will be placed in the teacher’s folder.

E. Types of appointments–Every person hired for an instructional position will receive one of the following types of appointments: qualifying period, regular, substitute, or part-time.

V. Information and Background Data to be Collected

A. Letter of intent

B. Application

C. Recruitment control card–to be completed by the on-campus interviewer or superintendent’s secretary when the application is received.

D. Interview rating sheet–to be completed by each interviewer and placed in the folder of each candidate who visits the district.

E. Credentials

F. Reference checks–the principal who invites the candidate will contact references and place reference sheets in the folder.

G. Miscellaneous–any other information regarding the candidate’s qualifications will also be placed in the folder.