LM April 2024

Vacancy ... cont’d.

How does your district plan to use the Teacher Vacancy Grant to address staffing challenges? Quincy Public School District plans to utilize the Teacher Vacancy Grant in three ways. First, QPS plans to provide New Hire Teaching Incentives for both general education teachers as well as special education teachers for the 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and 2025–2026 school years. Giving New Hire Teaching Incentives will allow Quincy Public Schools to increase the amount of new teaching hires added each year. The New Hire Teaching Incentive will be tiered for three years. The first year a new teacher will receive $750 at the end of the school year. The second year the teacher will receive $1,000 at the end of the school year. And the third year, the teacher will receive $1,250 at the end of the school year. The New Hire Teaching Incentives will be paid to the teachers in good standing with Quincy Public School District after they complete their first, second and third years teaching in a full-time, full-year role for QPS. A prorated amount will be given to a teacher hired midyear. To prevent current staff members from resigning their positions, then reapplying, the signing bonus is available to only new certified teachers to QPS. Effective August 2023, teachers who resign from QPS over the 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and 2025–2026 school years are not eligible for the bonus. During the 2020–2021, 2021–2022, and 2022–2223 school year, Quincy Public School District hired 171 new teachers. Approximately 50 teachers are anticipated to be hired each year for the 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and 2025–2026 school years. The teaching bonus cost per year would be $37,000 for the 2023–2024 school year, $87,500 for the 2024–2025 school year, and $150,000 for the 2024–2025 school year. Secondly, QPS plans to increase the special education stipend from $450 a year to $900 a year. This stipend will be paid to all special education teachers in our district. The total cost for this stipend is $45,000 per year. This could incentivize teachers who hold their LBS1 and are teaching in a general education classroom to switch to a special education placement. Lastly, the grant fund will provide an allotment of money for every teacher to use for supplies for their classrooms. During the 2023–2024 school year the teachers will receive a $200 line of credit to a local school supply store. During the 2024–2025 school year the teachers will receive a $150

line of credit to a local school supply store and during the 2025–2026 school year, the teachers will receive a $100 line of credit to a local school supply store. QPS plans to utilize the grants funds for all teachers, and certified special education staff including SLPs, school social workers, and school psychologists in addition to deans, counselors and academic coaches and interventionists. These support staff members provide small social groups, one-on-one social emotional teaching and the support necessary for teachers to be able to teach more effectively. The support staff can assist with helping students put words to their trauma/behavior which can help the student to reengage back into the classroom and engage in the curriculum with the least amount of disruption to the teacher and the instruction. How big of an impact will this grant have on your district? The impact is unknown as we end the 2023–2024 school year and disburse the funding for year one. How will your district sustain the programming beyond the term of the grant? We will not sustain this program beyond the grant term due to revenue constraints.

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Gallatin CUSD #7

IASA Region:

Superintendent:

Shawnee

Dr. Judy Kaegi

Size:

Enrollment:

Adequacy %

preK–12 695 73%

Describe the staffing challenges in your district, including issues with vacancies, how many applications you receive for job openings and any other related challenges caused by the teacher shortage? Teacher recruitment and retention in our rural prek–12 unit school district go hand in hand. Using this grant, Gallatin CUSD #7 has worked to retain the talented teachers we have

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LM April 2024