% THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.
% >> THANK YOU.
% GLAD TO HELP.
% >> EVEN WITH THE START OF SCHOOL
% RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, A CHECK
% OF HIRING PORTALS SHOWS
% DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE ARE
% HUNDREDS OF TEACHERS SHORT AND
% THE NEED FOR SUPPORT STAFF IS
% EVEN HIGHER.
% NEARLY 70% OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
% IN WISCONSIN ARE CONSIDERED
% RURAL AND THE NEED CAN BE
% ESPECIALLY ACUTE IN THOSE
% SCHOOLS.
% OUR NEXT GUEST IS THE ARCADIA
% SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR.
% LANCE BAGSTAD KNOWS THE STRUGGLE
% TO FIND STAFF FIRSTHAND AND
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO, WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS
% RIGHT NOW IN YOUR DISTRICT FOR
% HOW SHORT YOU STILL ARE FOR
% TEACHERS AND STAFF?
% >> YEAH, ACTUALLY WE ARE -- WE
% HAVE OUR CLASSROOMS FILLED BUT
% DO NOT HAVE THEM ALL FILLED WITH
% TEACHERS CERTIFIED IN SOME OF
% THE AREAS.
% WE HAVE HAD TO FILL SOME OF OUR
% CLASSROOMS, AT LEAST
% TEMPORARILY, WITH LONG-TERM
% SUBS.
% ALL ACROSS THE DISTRICT, SO WE
% HAVE ELEMENTARY POSITIONS THAT
% WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR
% CERTIFIED STAFF, WE HAVE MIDDLE
% SCHOOL POSITIONS AND WE HAVE
% HIGH SCHOOL POSITIONS.
% SO PRETTY COMMON ACROSS RURAL
% SCHOOLS ACROSS WISCONSIN RIGHT
% NOW, ONLY A FEW WEEKS AWAY FROM
% THE START OF SCHOOL THAT
% CLASSROOMS ARE NOT FULLY STAFFED
% YET.
% >> SO, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO
% FAMILIES WITH STUDENTS IN THE
% DISTRICT ABOUT THAT, AND WHETHER
% OR NOT THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
% WILL BE GOOD THIS YEAR?
% >> YEAH, CERTAINLY THAT'S
% SOMETHING WE HAVE HAD TO DISCUSS
% ADMINISTRATIVELY ACROSS OUR
% DISTRICT.%THE POSITIVE WE HA
VE FOR US IS
% WE DO HAVE THREE INSTRUCTIONAL
% COACHES ACROSS THE DISTRICT THAT
% ACTUALLY WORK WITH TEACHERS ON
% COACHING CYCLES, WHETHER THAT'S
% AN ELEMENTARY TEACHER, MIDDLE
% SCHOOL TEACHER OR HIGH SCHOOL
% TEACHER ON BEST PRACTICES, AND
% WE ARE ALSO A PROFESSIONAL
% LEARNING COMMUNITY SCHOOL
% DISTRICT SO OUR TEACHERS HAVE AN
% OPPORTUNITY TO GET TOGETHER WITH
% EITHER SIMILAR SUBJECT AREAS OR
% GRADE LEVEL TEACHERS TO WORK ON
% ASSESSMENTS, ON COMMON
% STANDARDS, AND BEST PRACTICES IN
% THE CLASSROOM.
% SO WITH THOSE TEACHERS THAT MAY
% NOT BE, OR MAY BE LONG-TERM
% SUBS, WE ARE ABLE TO SURROUND
% THEM WITH A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE
% TO ASSIST WITH THEIR INSTRUCTION
% AS WELL AS THEIR PRACTICES.
% >> IN TERMS OF STAFF SHORTAGES,
% HAVE YOU EVER SEEN IT LIKE THIS
% BEFORE COMING INTO THIS SCHOOL
% YEAR?
% >> NOT ANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS.
% I'VE BEEN A DISTRICT
% ADMINISTRATOR NOW IN MY FIFTH
% YEAR, I WAS A PRINCIPAL FOR 12
% YEARS PRIOR TO THAT.
% I HAVE NEVER SEEN SHORTAGES LIKE
% THIS.
% YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN
% CERTAIN AREAS WHERE THERE'S BEEN
% SHORTAGES.
% FOR EXAMPLE, SPECIAL EDUCATION,
% CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
% AREAS, WORLD LANGUAGES, BUT WE
% ARE NOW SEEING THOSE SAME
% SHORTAGES HIT US AT THE
% ELEMENTARY LEVEL AS WELL AS
% THOSE AREAS I JUST MENTIONED.
% FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD 3 OR 4
% OPENINGS AT OUR ELEMENTARY THIS
% YEAR.
% WE HAD LESS THAN 15 APPLICANTS
% FOR POSITIONS.
% WE HAD A 4-K POSITION OPEN, ONLY
% HAD TWO APPLICANTS FOR THAT
% POSITION.%THAT'S REALLY UNUS
UAL.
% IN THE PAST ELEMENTARY POSITIONS
% YOU WOULD GET 40, 50, 60, EVEN
% SOMETIMES 100 APPLICANTS.
% THEY ARE JUST NOT OUT THERE AT
% THIS TIME.
% >> WHY ISN'T ARCADIA OR OTHER
% SMALL RURAL DISTRICTS ABLE TO
% ATTRACT TEACHERS?
% >> YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF IT
% IS THE RURALNESS OF OUR
% DISTRICTS.%YOU KNOW, I'VE OFT
EN SAID IN
% CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHERS THAT A
% LOT OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE
% IN PRESERVICE TEACHER PROGRAMS
% AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES GET
% USED TO THE AMENITIES THAT A
% LARGER CITY OFFERS, YOU KNOW.
% THINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN A
% LARGE CITY THAT MAY NOT BE AS
% ACCESSIBLE IN RURAL WISCONSIN.
% BUT I WOULD ALSO ARGUE THAT THE
% TEACHER SHORTAGE, WHILE IT'S
% IMPACTING RURAL WISCONSIN PRETTY
% GREATLY, IT'S ALSO IMPACTING
% EVEN OUR URBAN DISTRICTS ARE
% STRUGGLING TO HAVE A LOT OF
% CANDIDATES APPLYING FOR JOBS.
% >> WHAT DO YOU DO TO TRY TO
% COMPETE WITH THE GEOGRAPHICAL
% LOCATION THAT YOU HOLD?
% >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, FOR US IT IS
% A LITTLE DIFFICULT.
% WE ARE BASICALLY LOCATED HALFWAY
% BETWEEN THE CITY OF LA CROSSE
% AND THE CITY OF EAU CLAIRE, AND
% 35 MINUTES FROM WINONA,
% MINNESOTA, LARGER CITIES THAN WE
% ARE.%WE ARE LOOKING AT HAVING
TO
% CHANGE OUR PAY SCALE, INCREASE
% PAY, FIND WAYS TO OFFER OTHER
% BENEFITS TO TEACHERS.
% WE HAVE DONE SOME THINGS IN OUR
% DISTRICT, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH
% NEED AREAS BY OFFERING
% INCENTIVES TO HELP WITH TUITION
% AND TUITION REIMBURSEMENT IN
% SOME AREAS, ESPECIALLY SPECIAL
% EDUCATION, WHEN THAT'S BEEN THE
% CASE.%SO WE ARE REALLY LOOKI
NG AT A
% NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT
% WE ARE ABLE TO DO.
% THE OTHER THING WE ARE ABLE TO
% DO IN OUR AREA, THE SCHOOL
% DISTRICTS OF ARCADIA,
% INDEPENDENCE, BLARE, TAYLOR AND
% WHITEHALL, WE HAVE A FOUR-SCHOOL
% CO-OP, TREMPEALEAU VALLEY
% COOPERATIVE, AND WE ARE IN
% CONSTANT DISCUSSION HOW WE CAN
% SHARE STAFF, HOW WE CAN
% INCENTIVIZE SOME OF OUR TEACHERS
% BY, FOR TEACHING REMOTELY TO OUR
% FOUR DISTRICTS AS WELL AS
% POTENTIALLY INCENTIVIZING
% TEACHERS WITH ADDITIONAL PAY IF
% THEY ARE WILLING TO TRAVEL FROM
% DISTRICT TO DISTRICT TO HELP
% WITH THE SHORTAGES.
% >> WOW, A LOT OF WORK.
% LANCE BAGSTAD, THANKS VERY MUCH
% AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE NEW