Staffing is one of the top concerns of Texas district leaders, according to a recent TASBO survey. Texas districts are not alone in facing the challenge of filling both professional and non-certified support staff positions—it’s a national problem. Some districts have curtailed lunch services because of shortages of food service workers. Others relied on parents or car services to transport students because they couldn’t fill their bus driver positions. Competition for bus drivers with other businesses such as Amazon has driven up wages and led districts to offer sign-on bonuses as incentives. School districts are planning on using ESSER funds for intensive tutoring—if only they can find tutors! With COVID still resulting in teacher absences due to quarantining, the demand for substitutes is far greater than the supply.
What’s driving these shortages in Texas and nationally? A recent article in Chalkbeat identified several factors. Across the country, the labor market is changing as workers are reevaluating their work situations and demanding increased wages and better working conditions. Concern about exposure to COVID is also a factor, especially for older and retired workers who often work in support roles in schools. ESSER funds have contributed to a higher demand for some workers as districts expand existing programs or put new initiatives into place requiring additional staff, such as counselors and intervention teachers.
Districts are looking beyond traditional recruiting methods to try new ways to reach prospective candidates. One strategy that’s been used by districts in both Texas and Florida is geo-targeted mobile data advertising. Using mobile data, ads may be delivered directly to user’s mobile devices through the apps they use for news, shopping, and entertainment. What do Trader’s Village, Chuck E. Cheese, and the Dollar Store have in common? They are all places where families of young children who may qualify for PreK and K may be found—and family members who might be prospective teachers or teacher aides, substitutes, food service workers, tutors, or bus drivers. One district geo-targeted these businesses within and adjacent to its boundaries to advertise their open positions and saw an immediate spike in both early childhood registrations and support staff applicants. This district worked with Datum Tech, a company that supports school districts with geo-targeted mobile advertising for HR recruiting, student enrollment, and district communications outreach. Their strategy was one part of a comprehensive outreach plan. The more often an ad is delivered, the more likely it is to impact behavior, and geo-targeted mobile advertising is an affordable way to reach a wider audience.
A school is a community that depends on its support staff as well as its teachers and administrators to meet the academic and non-academic needs of its students. The three R’s for district leaders are Resourcefulness, Recruitment, and Retention to maintain a supportive school environment.
Click here to read the ChalkBeat analysis of staffing shortages nationally.
Leark More about Geo-targeted mobile data advertising: Datum Tech HillCo Edu