Columbia Board of Education updated on job openings in CPS and the plan to fill them

Permanent substitutes, provisionally certified teachers and international teachers are among the ways Columbia Public Schools is seeking to keep positions staffed, CPS human resources director Michelle Holz told the Columbia Board of Education on Friday.

The district boasted that all teaching positions were filled at the start of the school year.

"We currently have 40 permanent substitutes working in the district," Holz said.

Another 26 teaching positions are filled with provisionally certified teachers, those who are 12 credits from earning certification.

The district is using the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program, hiring 13 experienced teachers from overseas locations, she said.

The district's substitute teacher pool through a contractor totals 509, Holz said.

"A lot of the time we take our substitutes, and we hire them for positions that are open," Holz said.

That fills a position, but reduces the substitute pool, she said.

Classroom teaching vacancies are in the subject areas of English, science, business computers, Spanish and learning specialist.

"What we're trying to do is to get retirees to come back," Holz said. "When teachers retire, they want to retire."

There are 11 open paraprofessional positions and 12 positions open for classroom aides, she said.

Professional development

Plans are in place for three days of teacher professional development on Oct. 2, 3 and 4.

School won't be in session those days and CPS is partnering with Powerhouse Community Development Corp. to provide sack breakfasts and lunches for parents to pick up at several school buildings.

Teacher training sessions at the comprehensive high schools will include those related to keeping students engaged, trauma-informed care and restorative practices, said De'Vion Moore, chief academic officer.

Home-school communicators, liaisons between school officials and parents, will provide a session on their services at the elementary level, said Carla London, chief equity officer.

"We know that we can't discipline trauma out of a student," London said.

Data from Mill Creek, Paxton-Keeley elementary schools

Principals from Mill Creek and Paxton-Keeley elementary schools provided the school board with data highlights from their buildings.

Attendance at Mill Creek was 88.3% last school year, said Principal Tabetha Rawlings.

Though the state standard is 90% attendance, Rawlings said the school's goal is 92%.

There were 181 behavior incidents in 2022-23, though that's down from 268 in 2021-22.

There were 15 out-of-school suspensions in 2022-23, up from 12 the previous school year.

Almost all, 95%, of kindergartners were at or above grade level, she said.

"Our third grade scores are lower than previous years," Rawlings said, noting that those students were in kindergarten during the COVID shutdown.

"We're a strong learning community," Rawlings said.

The schools' teachers are experienced, she said.

"We have a lot of veteran teachers and most of them are tenured," Rawlings said. "And we are fully staffed."

School board member Jean Snodgrass asked Rawlings about opportunities to reduce the out-of-school suspensions.

"Honestly, the only time a kid gets sent home is when they're violent," Rawlings said.

Paxton-Keeley had 90% attendance, but it remains an issue, said principal Adrienne Patton.

"I do realize that attendance at the elementary level is often an adult issue," Patton said.

Efforts include wake-up calls to homes and picking up students at their homes.

The school has 636 students, with 35% eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

"We have a huge EL population — English language learners," Patton said.

The school is a global society, she said.

There were 41 out-of-school suspensions in 2022-23, up from 15 in 2021-22.

"Throughout the years I've found students who are struggling typically have low self-esteem," Patton said.

She and her teachers try to reinforce their self-esteem, she said.

Other efforts to reduce out-of-school suspensions?

"We really try to drill down and figure out what's going on" with a student, Patton said.

The school sometimes involves a family intervention specialist for solutions, she said.

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 2 Columbia elementary school principals give report on their buildings