By Noelle Kronberg
Eagle Times Education Writer
NEWPORT, NH — All of Newport School District’s core teaching positions were filled at the start of the school year, a feat not many schools can boast amidst a looming national teacher shortage, said Superintendent Donna Magoon.
She attributes some of this to the lowest turnover to teaching staff in several years, dipping more than 20 teachers leaving the district at the end of each year to around a dozen.
“Most teachers left because of the pay, and some others left because of childcare. They couldn’t find an affordable option,” said Magoon.
Starting pay for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in Newport is currently $37,379, putting the district about $3,000 to $9,000 less than neighboring districts. Starting pay in Unity is $40,641. In Claremont it is $42,052 and in Grantham it is $46,135. The difference is greater when comparing starting salaries for a teacher with a master’s degree.
Magoon is hopeful that it won’t always be this way.
Paraprofessional and bus driver pay increased this year after last year’s negotiations, making it more competitive with neighboring districts and towns. Paraprofessional pay in Newport starts at $15.55 per hour; in Claremont it starts at $14.23. Magoon said pay for paraprofessionals is not where it should be, but she aims to see it continue to increase. Now that support staff pay has increased, Magoon would like to see teacher salaries in Newport become more competitive to draw in more educators.
Newport utilized the existing staff and faculty to help fill teaching positions for this year.
New Hampshire has a list of critical shortage areas and also allows school boards to determine local critical shortage areas where there are openings with no suitable certified applicants. When there are local or state critical shortage areas, the district may hire candidates who are not certified teachers, as long as they have a bachelor’s degree, on an emergency certification.
Magoon reached out to support staff in the district to see if any of them held a four-year degree and were interested in becoming teachers. A few paraprofessionals came forward to express an interest. Some of them were working toward a teaching license, but had not completed all the necessary steps yet.
There are costs associated with the emergency certification, such as fingerprinting and the state licensing fee. Currently those are the responsibility of the candidate, but Magoon is looking for ways that the district might help offset those costs in the future.
In addition to seeking internal candidates, Magoon also sent an email out to all staff offering a referral bonus. If a faculty or staff member knew someone who was a teacher or had a four-year degree and was interested in teaching and was subsequently hired, the referring staff member received $1,000. She said they had three to four applicants as a result of this.
With referrals, in addition to finding applicants, the district is able to hire people that are already connected to current employees and have relationships in the schools, making them more likely to stay.
Newport administration is concentrating on retaining the teachers that they bring in. Magoon stated that historically, Newport has been a “training ground” for teachers, offering experience and professional development, only to have teachers leave after a year or two.
Plans are in the works for Newport to add a district mentoring position.
Traditionally, schools offer a stipend for veteran teachers to become mentors to new teachers, but as Magoon noted, it is hard for someone who is in the classroom full-time to take on mentoring. This new position would be an experienced teacher who is no longer in the classroom.
The role would include mentoring all the new teachers and working with district administration to address climate and culture needs. The hope is that with increased support and care for the teachers, more will choose to stay.
“We want to get to the point where people want to come work in Newport,” Magoon said.
The mentor would also network with nearby colleges and universities for recruiting staff.
While they are not feeling the shortage as much as other districts, Newport has still faced challenges, even as the school year got underway. One week prior to school starting, a teacher resigned and at 7:18 a.m. on the first day of school, another teacher tendered their resignation.
Magoon credits the dedication and flexibility of staff for overcoming open vacancies, particularly these two. Paraprofessional staff offered to fill in and substitute until a certified replacement could be found. Both of those positions, as well as two elective course teaching positions, were officially filled at last week’s board meeting.
“Everyone educates in our community, not just the teachers,” Magoon said, adding that any time a challenge like this arises, staff are the first to ask what they can do to help. “It’s incredible to see, but it also makes me sad and worried about burn out. Teachers and staff already go above and beyond.”
To help with mental and physical health and preventing burn out, the district has previously brought in and offered exercise classes after school. Magoon is planning to do that again and add other classes, like ceramics.
“It’s something staff can do together. They can talk through their day and take care of each other,” Magoon said.
The Newport School Board is considering utilizing additional adequacy aid from the state toward teacher retention.
“Education of our students and moving the bar is our top priority,” Magoon said.
The board will determine and finalize their decision for the aid at a special meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28.
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