North Indy News

Staffing update: How is CCS affected by the national teacher shortage?

There are ongoing headlines regarding teacher shortages and the struggle to fill open positions in education and elsewhere. Hiring has become a challenge in almost every industry, and job seekers can be selective. By providing an update on our staffing successes and challenges with the community, our families can better understand how national headlines correlate to what is happening in our schools.

TEACHERS

Carmel Clay Schools currently has all district teaching positions filled for the 2022-2023 school year. We are fortunate to be a destination district for many teachers in the state and country. CCS has low turnover with our teaching staff, thanks partly to outstanding leadership, working environments, a supportive association, and benefits. If a CCS teacher resigns, it is typically for personal reasons or retirement and rarely to join a neighboring district. Our pay and benefits are highly competitive for the state and county compared to many other school districts.

We continue to see many applicants for all elementary teaching positions throughout the school year.

Hiring special education, science, and math teachers across the state has become increasingly challenging. From May to June, we maintain a steady stream of applicants. However, as the start of school approaches in July, hiring becomes challenging at the secondary level.

ADMINISTRATION

CCS consistently has low turnover rates with administrative positions throughout the district. Vacant positions continue to receive large quantities of highly-qualified applicants.

CLASSIFIED STAFF

Substitute Teachers - Carmel Clay Schools has opportunities for short- and long-term substitute teachers and day-to-day positions. As teachers go on leave, we constantly need to fill vacancies. Over the last two years, our community answered the call when schools struggled to keep up with absences from COVID. We currently are below preferred staffing levels with our short- and long-term substitutes to provide coverage. If you are seeking a very flexible position, our day-to-day substitutes can choose when to work, and by increasing our available resources of trained subs, we free up others to cover long-term openings.  

Transportation - As is the case across the country, we have a critical shortage of bus drivers and aides. We have had to adjust bell times and create No-Bus Zones for each school to maximize the number of students we can transport. Though even with managing fewer riders, transportation staffing remains a challenge. Applicants must complete the necessary licensing and tests before driving students, and the barriers to entry to the position can deter applicants. We encourage anyone interested in driving a bus to give it a try! We always say, if you can drive an SUV on Carmel roundabouts, you can operate a bus! We proudly offer competitive rates and paid training.

Instructional Assistants - Carmel Clay Schools is in immediate need of Instructional Assistants in both general and special education. There are multiple opportunities available at most Carmel Clay Schools. Positions can be full-day or part-time. IAs are essential resources for our school staff to provide the necessary support for all students.  

Edu-Care & Food Services - We are sufficiently staffed in our Edu-Care and Food Services programs but are still hiring select positions. If interested in these departments, we encourage applicants to reach out for more information.

Original source can be found here.