Hartford, like the rest of the country, have reported difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers.  This applies not only to the “highly qualified” folks, but any teacher, even those like Jim Belushi in the movie, The Principal, co-starring Louis Gossett, Jr.

The shortage of teachers has become a growing concern for all stakeholders in Hartford.   According to recent studies, this trend is likely to continue in the coming years, potentially exacerbating existing educational inequalities and negatively impacting student achievement.  Right now, Hartford has over 200 vacant certified positions.

Added to the current problem in urban districts like Hartford, is the fact that urban districts have always had this recruiting and retaining problem.  In the study, “The Challenges of Staffing Urban Schools with Effective Teachers,” it was found that hiring and retaining teachers in urban districts is much harder than in suburban districts; urban schools hire more substitutes and less qualified teachers to fill vacancies; urban teachers are less likely to remain at the same school for an extended period of time; and, high quality urban teachers are more likely to change districts or leave the profession early.

A Hartford Courant story in 2021 reported that, “New Teachers are leaving Hartford at an alarming rate.”  The story stated that 1 of every 4 new teachers are leaving Hartford after 1 year on the job.  That is amazing, while also being a pitiful indictment of Hartford Schools’ leadership.

Hartford leadership is not helping to solve the problem by consistently offering one of the lowest teacher pay scales in the area.  They admit this.  During a January Board meeting, with research and analysis provided by the Superintendent’s perennial, overpaid, right-hand “non-profit,” Educational Resource Strategies (ERS), we are told that, “Hartford- as an urban core district- offers lower average salaries than regional, suburban peers – which is a major driver of our attrition and retention challenges with teachers.”  They forgot “hiring.”

In the same breath, they state, “Long-term compensation increases are not fiscally sustainable,” announcing that due to the consistent budget deficit, they will remain consistent on the pay scale issue and take across the board teacher pay raises off the table.  Which means they will fall even further behind on the pay scale.

At the January meeting, HPS tells us that they have “developed a robust recruitment plan,” which has been more “robust” for the highly-paid marketing firm of Adams & Knight out of Avon than it has for students in Hartford who are having classes canceled due to teacher shortages.

Included in their new teacher “pipeline opportunities,” bringing folks from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to teach in Hartford, is $4 million for “recruitment stipends.”  It wasn’t stated what costs are covered by the $4 million in “recruitment stipends.”  Hartford’s recruitment bonus for new teachers is advertised as being, “up to $5,000.”  Which it is not.  The highest tiered bonus is $3,000.  From there it goes down to $1,500, $750, and $600. Like their pay scale, these are among the lowest sign-on bonuses offered by schools in the area, despite a $4 million budgeted “recruitment stipend.”

HPS also has a “great” Employee Referral Program.  If you can get your old college buddy drunk enough to apply and land a teaching job at HPS, and if they stay in the position for at least 100 days, you will receive “up to $1,500,” less taxes, despite a $4 million “recruitment stipend.”

In order to receive this bonus however, you must submit the Employee Referral Form within 30 days of your buddy’s application submission.  “Informal recommendations, emails to school leaders or staff members, and conversations that are not captured in the referral form do not qualify as official referral submissions.”  Referral forms must also be submitted only to the talented folks of the Talent Team via the online referral form submission link.  “Referrals submitted to any other person or team, i.e., school principal, leadership team, academic director, etc., or through another forum, i.e., email or text, are not eligible for the incentive.”  Kind of tight with fifteen hundred bucks, aren’t they?  Despite a budgeted $4 million “recruitment stipend.”

HPS also pays a retention bonus to returning teachers of $1,000 (less taxes).  They should give them a medal as well.  However, Chief Financial Officer Phillip Penn recently stated that he has been in discussions with the talented folks at the Office of Talent and Management, to do away with this retention bonus in 2023-24, as a means of reducing the district’s $24 million budget deficit.  At roughly 950 teachers, this will save less than $1 million.  Lost on HPS is the idea that a great asset of any company is good will.

Hopefully, current teachers in HPS can endure this crazy crisis.  Like Jim Belushi said in The Principal, “Knives only hurt if they go through you.  Urine only smells if you don’t clean it up.”