Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for Blue Valley Board of Education to address leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to Blue Valley district patrons.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Teacher and staff retention has been a concern for years in local schools, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts continue to enter each new year with dozens of vacancies, most notably among special education teachers. Schools are also having trouble filling classified, non-teacher staff roles, like paras and custodians. What, if anything, can the school board do to help schools recruit and retain qualified staff?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
Member Area 1
Jan Kessinger (incumbent)
Blue Valley had no vacancies to start the 2023-24 school year, but the pipeline of teachers in the future is running dry. We need to encourage high schoolers and college students to look to a career as an educator. Blue Valley raised salaries significantly this year, and we have a strategic initiative to continue to raise teacher salaries to be competitive and superior to neighboring districts.
The Blue Valley Education Foundation has established a scholarship program for special education para-professionals to pursue qualifications to become certified teachers.
Salaries for all staff is a challenge as the district has to manage a budget that is hampered due to the Kansas legislature refusing to fully fund special education as required by law. The federal government also is not meeting that obligation. The result of that lack of funding is that Blue Valley has to divert $12 million from general funds — including salaries — into special ed programs that should be funded by the state and federal governments.
Blue Valley is fortunate despite those budget challenges. The school district is rated as one of the top five employers in Kansas. That is not one of the top five school district employers, but one of the top five OVERALL best employers in Kansas. It is a good place to work, and we need to continue to support the administration and policies that attract the top teachers to our district. Speaking of top teachers: Blue Valley is rated as having the BEST TEACHERS in the state. The attraction of Blue Valley shows that pay is not everything, but we are in the process of closing that pay gap, also.
Christine Vasquez
I believe as a school board if we prioritize the classroom, the environment and our teachers, we can impact change.
By working to establish policy that promotes an enjoyable, safe classroom where learning is not hindered by out of control behavior and distractions, we can ensure our teachers and staff feel supported and can focus on educating our students.
With common sense policy and oversight to strengthen and rebuild the relationships between teachers and staff, parents and administration, recruitment and retention will grow.
Member Area 2
Trisha Hamilton
We need to give all employees an environment where they want to come to work, where their safety is considered and our student behavioral policy is challenged. We need to promote a culture of high expectations in learning and behavior.
It’s easy to blame COVID-19 for teachers continuing to leave the district for various reasons, including but not limited to the work environment (classroom size and behavioral issues), compensation and lack of support. A strong, positive work culture will aid in recruiting and retention of excellent people.
We need to re-focus on high academic standards and provide a peaceful learning environment where our teachers are inspired to teach and our students are inspired to learn.
Patrick Hurley (incumbent)
First, the board can educate the community to understand that the Kansas Legislature has regularly voted against fully funding public education and, specifically, special education. The Kansas Legislature should adopt policies to promote the teaching profession instead of defunding public education, which is driving teachers out of the profession.
Second, the Blue Valley School District has a recruitment philosophy of focusing on recruiting new teachers graduating from college. The district’s salary schedule was developed to attract more new teachers than other districts, therefore also allowing Blue Valley to work on keeping its current teachers.
Third, Blue Valley USD 229 was named in 2023 by Forbes magazine’s “Best-in-State Employers” list, ranking in the top five among all Kansas employers. Blue Valley ranked fifth, making this the fifth year the district has been named among the top 10 employers. Forbes began in 2019, naming America’s best employers by state. This accolade reaffirms the district’s commitment to fostering a positive and supportive work environment for its dedicated staff members. Blue Valley consistently demonstrates its dedication to creating an exceptional workplace where educators can thrive. With a focus on innovation, collaboration and professional growth, the district continues attracting and retaining top-tier talent passionate about helping our students achieve academic success.
Finally, the board will work with the Kansas Legislature to provide incentives for teachers. The state of Kansas needs more teachers.
Member Area 3
Jodie Dietz (incumbent)
The Blue Valley School District is listed as one of the top five employers in the state of Kansas. To recruit and retain high-quality staff, the board must look for opportunities to advocate for funding from the state, vote to increase pay, when possible, work with teachers and representatives on other support opportunities, create an environment of a “destination district” where our staff feel valued and want to work here and make attempts to support a “grow your own” concept. This includes opportunities for our high school students to participate in the CAPS Teacher Ed strand.
We have worked with our Blue Valley Education Foundation to create a grant that allows for financial support for paras who may want to go on to obtain their teaching certificate. I am proud of where our district is at and our vision forward.
Rachel Faagutu
Great teachers are the true wealth of any school district. Our teachers need higher pay and support from the administrators, in the form of a stronger district wide discipline policy.
Fostering a culture of respect for our community, the classroom and support staff would help with this. Relieving teachers of extra tasks would free them up to do what they are passionate about — teaching.
At-Large
Michael Huebner
We need to ensure our schools are a great environment for our students and our teachers. The “Blue Valley Excellence” team has children of all ages — elementary through high school — so we see what is going on at different levels of our schools. We have seen behavioral issues in many of our classrooms, not because our teachers aren’t trying or capable, but because they are not being supported by our administration and our parents.
The “Blue Valley Excellence” team will work to rebuild the parent/teacher relationships through common sense policies and oversight, to create a better work environment and ensure that we can recruit teachers by making their work environment better.
Clay Norkey
Recruiting and retaining quality educators and staff members must be a top priority. Shortages are nationwide with fewer students entering the field and many experienced teachers leaving. Fortunately, Blue Valley is better positioned than most to address the issues.
In Kansas, the Niche rating agency ranks our teachers #1 and the district as the #1 Best Place to Teach. To retain these top-notch professionals, we must continue: protecting all that makes the district exceptional; remaining vigilant in providing an exceptional work environment where employees thrive and feel valued; respecting and responding to the profession’s changing needs; and offering compensation packages reflecting the high value we place on our educators.
With Forbes ranking Blue Valley in the Top 5 of ALL employers in Kansas (not just school districts), it shows we are on the right track and must continue moving forward.
Taking these steps and promoting these accolades also attracts new teachers. I applaud this year’s 6% raises approved by the board and initiatives like the recently announced full-tuition scholarships for well-qualified paras to become certified teachers. By continuing to be innovative and promoting teacher successes, we can encourage our very own Blue Valley young people to enter this noble profession. And by building even stronger new teacher support structures, Blue Valley will be widely known as the best place to start a teaching career.
Tomorrow, we will publish candidates’ responses to the next question:
By some metrics, including national standardized tests like NAEP, Kansas schools’ academic performance has declined in the wake of COVID-19, and student achievement has yet to fully return to pre-pandemic levels, especially in math. At the same time, Blue Valley remains one of the highest achieving school districts in Kansas when it comes to state-level assessments and graduation rates. How do you assess Blue Valley’s current level of achievement? What, if anything, are you most concerned about?
