By Crystal Hayduk
School districts everywhere are experiencing the challenge of too few employees to meet staffing needs and Chelsea School District is no exception.
Marcus Kaemming, assistant superintendent, said although the district hired a number of new staff members over the summer, there are still openings in a few crucial areas.
The transportation department has the most critical staffing needs, with openings for a mechanic, bus drivers, monitors, and substitute drivers and monitors. There are a number of openings in Community Education’s after care program (lead teacher, assistant teacher, and caregivers) and the preschool (teachers and assistants). The district also needs custodians.
Due to the recent change in employee requirements established by Michigan’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), students as young as 16 are eligible to apply to work in the after-care program. Students would work for about three hours a day after school, with children ranging from Young 5s through fifth grade.
Kaemming said he is hopeful the reduction in the minimum age from 18 to 16 will be a good solution because many 18-20 year olds quickly move on to other job opportunities.
“Maybe we can reduce the turnover by hiring our current high school students,” he said. “This gives them local employment and an opportunity to explore whether they might be interested in a future career working with children.”
Hiring new people won’t solve the problem immediately because there is an onboarding process that takes some time. “If people are going to work directly with children, there are security clearances and other safety procedures we have to follow,” said Kaemming.
“We’re trying to come up with creative solutions rather than just traditional answers,” he said. “If anyone has interest in any of these areas, they should be careful about making assumptions based on a historical view of that position. We’re open to hearing the ideas others may want to share with us, as well, such as possibly allowing certain positions to work from home part of the time if the job lends itself to that option.”
Although there are staffing gaps, there have been recent improvements. Kaemming said the food service department is doing okay at this time. There are still some openings for paraprofessionals, but the situation is better than it was two years ago. “We have a solid teaching staff, but we could use a few more premier substitutes,” he said. (Premier substitutes are assigned to a specific building and work five days a week.)
Since the school year began, a couple of updates are in process. The district and the Chelsea Education Association (teachers’ union) have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract, following the expiration of the previous one on June 30.
The district is also raising the transportation department pay by $3/hour in the middle of the contract with the International Union of Operating Engineers.
Kaemming said school funding and staff salaries are topics most people don’t fully understand. Districts depend on the Foundation Allowance from the state to pay salaries. “Schools are not like private business where we can raise pay rates and then pass the cost down to the consumer by raising prices,” he said.
However, the preschool and after care programs are not funded by the state, so staff salaries are covered by the revenue generated by what families pay for the services. “We’ve tried to hold as steady as possible to stay affordable to families—not hiking prices exponentially,” said Kaemming.
Anyone who is wondering if a position within the school district might be right for them can call or email Kaemming to learn about creative ways to explore the “smorgasbord of opportunities. We want our employees to feel valued,” he said. “We’re a family here.”
For more information, phone Marcus Kaemming at 734-433-2208, ext. 6081 or email him at [email protected].
