Q:  School has started already, why is the vacancy list so high?

A:  Keep in mind that because we have "Openings" or "Posted Vacancies" that doesn't mean there is not a certified teacher in the position at present.

During the week before our students first day, we had three teachers resign.  They were hired by neighboring districts who either pay more or the individual wanted to return to their "home" district, etc.  With the Professional Code of Conduct for Teachers, a district can "hold" a teacher for 60 days to allow time to re-fill the position.  We did this with the three that resigned just prior to school starting, so they are still in the classroom here in Shippensburg serving students as we work diligently to find their successor.

You will note on the meeting agenda that some resignations read:  ". . . effective xxxxxxx (60 days after the resignation date) or as soon as a suitable replacement is found, whichever comes first."  We want to get the new employee in the classroom as soon as possible because the existing employee's heart may already be in the other district.

So in summary, just because we titled the attachment "Vacancies" many of the positions do have a highly qualified teacher in the position as we work on finding a replacement.  There are just a few cases where we had an employee take medical leave on short notice, etc. where we have a substitute filling in at present.

Thank you for the inquiry.