School districts resort to paying hiring bonuses
By Guy Page
As the first day of school approaches in 1-2 weeks (depending on the school district), more Vermont school districts are resorting to paying hiring bonuses totalling about $150,000 for more than 40 open school positions, a Vermont education newsletter reported today.
“Schools and their boards have a new carrot to either bring them back now or to tempt professionals from other fields to join the world of education,” Steve Berbeco of 802 Ed newsletter writes in today’s edition. “An immense influx of recent federal funding has prompted the next big thing: signing bonuses. Sure, they’ve been around for a while as a recruitment and retention tool, but not like this. Want to work as a bus driver in Eureka, CA? There’s a $10k bonus waiting for you. Or how about a gym teacher in North Carolina? That’s another $10k dangling out the window to get your attention. How about teaching English in Gallup, NM? There is up to $26.5k waiting for you to relocate to Chief Manuelito Middle School, and with a salary maximum of $70k, that could translate into a lot of fry bread.
“Vermont is also waving money around,” Berbeco said. “There are currently more than 40 positions that are open with signing bonuses that total about $150,000. And, with an average of about six more openings posted every day, the market is likely only going to get hotter as the start of the school year approaches.”
As of today, Vermont schools are about 2850 educators short – despite school budgets at record highs and enrollment continuing to drop.