New Hiring Policy is Good News for Boston Public Schools

Three years ago, MBAE and the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued a report on Boston Public School policies that have an impact on teacher quality. Our conclusion was that while the district had many smart, strategic policies already in place, there were actions that could be taken to help the district do more to attract and retain effective teachers.

The very first recommendation was to “Give principals full authority to interview and hire all teachers, regardless of whether the teacher is new to the district, transferring voluntarily or transferring as a result of excess. Teachers should never be guaranteed a position.”

So, we applaud the action taken by Boston Public Schools Interim Superintendent John McDonough last week to “enable all schools to fill positions with the very best teachers. “ According to the Superintendent’s October 31 Newsletter, “At a recent professional development session, we asked our school leaders to share best practices with each other and also with our central office teams. Again and again, they expressed the importance of attracting and retaining a diverse group of talented teachers as the most critical element that drives positive school change.

This is something we have all known for years. We have great teachers in our schools. We also know that when there is a vacancy, our own systems often put barriers in place that can make it difficult to attract, hire and place the best people — either from within the district or outside of it.”

One of the primary barriers, cited in the NCTQ report, is the hiring timelines that forced Boston to miss the window when the most talented and diverse pool of educators are making decisions about which position to accept. The district was waiting far too long to extend offers to qualified candidates – with only 9% having been hired by June. “Last year BPS hired 57 percent of our new-to-BPS teachers in August, just weeks before the new school year begins. Nearly 30 percent joined our team in July.”

The Superintendent clearly stated his committment to making offers in the winter and spring rather than late summer. “Doing so will make us more competitive. We will attract top talent and will be in a stronger position to recruit and hire a diverse pool of educators who will help strengthen every school. To accomplish this we are providing all schools the autonomy to open-post every available position in the next hiring cycle. This will give current teachers a much better opportunity to consider and apply for open positions throughout the district, just as it will give top-talent external candidates the chance to truly compete for roles here in Boston. The alternative is to continue to allow other cities and charter schools the chance to make offers to talented teachers months before we do.”

The issue of “excessed” teachers – those who are not matched with an open position – is still a challenge. According to the newsletter, “Under the new process, the approximately 300 teachers who are annually placed in our excess pool will be given assistance with resume-building so they can compete more effectively for open positions. We will also provide targeted professional development based on subject-area needs. Teachers who are not matched against vacancies will be assigned in a suitable professional capacity and will remain eligible to fill vacancies as they occur.” How this plays out will be a significant factor in whether the plan meets the goal of ensuring there is a highly effective teacher in every classroom, every year.

It is very encouraging that the Superintendent is taking this action.  His newsletter indicates that the district is building on new flexibility in its current contract to extend hiring authorities to every school!  This is great news for Boston’s children – and something we think should be the policy of every district!

MBAE and NCTQ also reviewed the teacher policies of the Springfield Public Schools – read more about the October 2011 report!