• Focus Area 3
    Human Talent

    Mountain View High School teacher leans down to assist student using Chromebook to complete classwork

    Thompson School District will invest in teachers, leaders and support staff to ensure we create the most impactful learning conditions that enable students to reach their full potential. Thompson School District will be a “destination of choice” for individuals who are seeking a rewarding profession that empowers and inspires them to become difference-makers.

  • Strategic Goal

    Thompson School District will maintain an annual staff retention rate of 85% or greater.

    Indicators of Success

    • Recruitment and retention of high-quality staff
    • Continuous improvement and growth mindset
    • Satisfactory culture and climate surveys

  • What We Will Use to Measure Our Progress

    Retention of Workforce
    Staff Satisfaction Surveys
    Quantity and Quality of Applicants
    Number of Staff Vacancies on the First Day of School
    Exit Survey Data
    Culture and Climate Surveys
    Personnel Turnover Rates
    Educator Effectiveness Data
    Professional Learning Opportunities Provided and Accessed
    Regional Comparison of Salaries and Benefits

  • Challenges

    • Shortage of qualified applicants
    • Changing workforce needs
    • Lack of professional development opportunities that address the individual needs of employees

    Actions

    • Monitor personnel turnover rates
    • Improve and enhance continuous improvement opportunities for employees and develop effective onboarding practices
    • Monitor and evaluate the culture and climate of the district

Desired Outcomes and Progress

As presented to Board of Education on February 1, 2023

3.1
Develop staff in all job classifications through enhanced opportunities.

81%

2021-22 retention rate of all staff members

Expanded professional development opportunities for classified, licensed, and administrative/professional/technical staff, including 516 course sections for all, and 62,588 completed professional development hours.

Incorporated student interns to support classified Innovative Technology Services staff.

Hired 22 of 31 interns from 2021-22 and hired 11 of 12 student teachers from fall 2022.

3.2
All staff are provided opportunities for mentoring, coaching and onboarding.

Differentiated mentoring, coaching, and onboarding programs to meet performance expectations.

Continued Ambassador contracts for each school building.

Expanded mentoring program to administrative, professional, and technical staff, and exploring ways for classified mentoring.

3.3
Utilize culturally responsive recruitment, hiring, and retention practices.

Hosted Thompson School District classified job fair and attended job fairs for teachers and administrators of color.

Sent job survey interest to all parents/guardians for recruiting hard-to-fill positions.

Analyzed data to inform hiring practices and created diverse hiring committees.

3.4
Investigate areas in compensation and benefits so that Thompson School District is competitive.

Participated in monthly state human resources meetings discussing salary and benefits.

Engaged all staff and departments in a recruiting and retaining brainstorming activity to explore new ideas to implement.

Reviewed job comparison studies to be regionally competitive for different positions.

Next Steps

Explore and implement recruit and retain strategies for the 2023-24 hiring season.

Other Focus Areas

Elementary student wearing headphones prepares to take a writing assessment

Focus Area 1
Student Achievement

Teacher leans down to help elementary school student with math homework

Focus Area 2
Inclusive and Supportive Culture

Walt Clark Middle School student uses iPad to control a drone

Focus Area 4
Stewardship of Resources