Henrico officials are committing extra resources to these 9 schools

To support teacher recruitment and retention in schools with more vacancies, including those in the Fairfield and Varina districts, Henrico County Public Schools officials will designate nine hard-to-staff schools as “Opportunity Schools" and provide them with additional resources for three years, HCPS Chief Learning Officer Lesley Hughes told the Henrico School Board during its work session Feb. 23.

At these schools – the Academy at Virginia Randolph/Virginia Randolph Education Center, Fair Oaks Elementary School, Glen Lea Elementary School, Laburnum Elementary School, Elko Middle School, Fairfield Middle School, John Rolfe Middle School, Highland Springs High School and Varina High School – licensed instructional employees will be eligible for additional compensation of $3,000, Hughes said. The schools also may receive additional administrators, permanent substitutes and teacher fellows (new positions created as a part of the school system’s “Career Ladder” that will support new and provisionally licensed teachers), she said.

District officials will meet soon with principals to develop each school’s plan, Hughes said.

“It will be critical to continue to manually review the data from each school and allow the principals to have a voice in the planning process to meet the needs of each school,” she said.

The nine schools have a combined rate of 25% or more of vacant positions and provisionally licensed staff, according to school system officials.

Tuckahoe District representative Marcie Shea praised officials for developing the Opportunity Schools program in a “meaningful way.”

“If [Opportunity Schools are] successful, then a school will move out of that category because we want the turnover and the provisional teachers, we want all of that to decrease,” Shea said.

Fairfield Representative Rev. Roscoe Cooper said it was important to continue to make sure a diverse group of teachers fill vacancies equitably across Henrico County Public Schools.

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The announcement comes as part of a larger effort by school system officials to recruit and retain teachers through career development and salary increase opportunities. The system kept fewer of its teachers last school year (86%) compared to its 91% retention rate during each of the two preceding school years, Chief Human Resources Officer Francine Bouldin told the board Thursday.

Competitive salaries are critical to keeping teachers, Bouldin said. This school year, Henrico teachers received a 5.06% raise and two new paid wellness days. Teachers received $500 retention bonuses in September and $500 appreciation bonuses in December, and also can  collect $500 referral bonuses, which will increase to $1,000 next school year, Bouldin said.

In addition to offering financial incentives, Henrico is implementing support programs for new teachers and professional development opportunities that can lead to salary increases.

The division has established programs to help new teachers get their licenses. Provisionally licensed teachers, who have bachelor’s degrees in subjects other than education, are important in filling vacancies, said Talent Acquisition Ambassador Kenya Jackson. Henrico has 316 provisional licensed teachers this year, compared to 266 provisional teachers last year.

Provisional teachers only have three years to complete six required courses, which each cost about $800, said Director of Professional Learning and Leadership Tracie Weston. To reduce financial barriers, the division pursues grants and partners with local universities in teacher residency programs. Pending approval by the Virginia Department of Education, it will fund online licensure through iTeach, paired with learning from a Henrico schools educator.

Along with the iTeach, the Career Ladder program will reimburse full-time employees $1,500 for coursework, conferences, workshops, license renewal fees and licensure assessments.

This school year, the second phase of Career Ladder launched microcredential and specialization cohort programs this year.

More than 300 Henrico teachers have earned microcredentials, or competency-based courses, offered through the division as well as outside education organizations. Approved programs focus on topics such as advanced placement reader training, becoming a trauma informed educator and English as a Second Language  teaching.

“By completing two microcredential professional learning programs, teachers with five years teaching experience are eligible to engage with a cohort of HCPS educators to achieve a specialization in a specific topic of interest,” Weston said.

The first two 32-week specialization cohorts on “Teaching and Learning and Diverse Learners” began Jan. 10, Weston said. Forty-eight elementary and secondary education employees from throughout the county are completing the specialization, which Weston said was “like a district-designed master’s degree” taught by experts within the division.

After finishing a specialization, eligible employees will be able to receive a 4.8% pay increase and apply to become adjunct faculty members who teach future specializations, Weston said.

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When addressing board members’ concerns about overwhelming teachers, Superintendent Amy Cashwell said Henrico is trying to meet all of its employees’ needs within the division.

“So how do you have opportunities for growth and development and leadership [as a teacher], and this provides what's really been a missing avenue there,” Cashwell said. “And it's certainly not meant to be a requirement or an extra on anyone and certainly pay advances come naturally through our compensation plan, and not just to those who participate here.”

Tuckahoe District representative Marcie Shea said she was glad to see opportunities that could qualify teachers to teach dual enrollment and advanced placement programs the division is trying to increase.

“As we're trying to really broaden those opportunities across the board, I'm glad that we have that master's degree for the content area in there to hopefully be able to grow those opportunities for our students,” she said.

The division is also including teacher apprenticeships in its career and technical education program. Rising juniors will take a rigorous curriculum at the new Hermitage Advanced Career Education Center and follow a detailed training agreement, said Director of the Department of Workforce and Career Development Mac Beaton.

“Through the experiences, they will enter the profession with a much greater understanding of what it takes to become an effective teacher and also a deeper understanding of the entire educational system for Henrico County,” Beaton said. “This is a low-cost opportunity to connect students early to the profession.”