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STAFF HIRING POLICY
I. INTRODUCTION
The State of Rhode Island has placed responsibility for the hiring, retention and assignment of instructional staff with the Superintendent of Schools (“Superintendent”). The Rhode Island Department of Education (“RIDE”) has enacted the Basic Education Program Regulation (“BEP”) which provides mandatory criteria for hiring, retention and assignment of instructional staff. The BEP requires the Smithfield School District (“District” or “LEA”) to select and retain only the most highly effective staff and to base assignments on student need and qualifications. RIDE has determined that the management of the Human Capital System is “essential to the mission of implementing a statewide system of public education.”[1]
The Superintendent and Principals (“site-based administrators” or “Principal(s)”) have a statutory responsibility to comply and implement state law as well as the Department of Education’s rules and regulations.[2] The Superintendent may delegate his/her duties under this policy to a designee to act in his/her place.
Continuous improvement of student learning shall be the primary reference point for all decision-making regarding personnel assignment and evaluation. In order to effectively meet these functions, the LEA shall maintain control of its ability to recruit, hire, manage, evaluate, and assign its personnel”[3] to ensure the selection and hiring of highly qualified, effective staff that best meets the needs of students.
The District highly values community participation through site-based School Improvement Teams (“SIT”). The teams serve to bring critical community input into the education process. The Administration should therefore seek to include present and former SIT members in the interview screening process where practicable.
II. POLICY
The District shall regard a highly qualified, effective applicant as one who fulfills all Federal, State and District laws, rules, regulations and requirements for the position. The District shall be committed to hiring the most highly qualified and effective applicant available for vacant positions consistent with budget requirements and those who best meet the needs of the students and the District.
Such hiring shall be performed consistent with the accompanying protocols and in conformance with applicable federal and state law, rules and regulations, including all applicable Smithfield School Department policies, protocols, and procedures. The District’s nondiscrimination policy guides the hiring policy (https://policies.smithfield-ps.org/home/ac).
A. Appointment of Principals.
Pursuant to R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11(a)(6) the Superintendent or designee shall directly appoint principals for each public school within the District at levels of compensation in accordance with the District’s compensation policy.
B. Appointment of Administrators and other Personnel not assigned to individual schools.
Pursuant to R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11(a)(7) the Superintendent or designee shall directly appoint all other non-school site administrators and other personnel at levels of compensation in accordance with the District’s compensation policy.
C. Appointment of School Site Personnel other than Principals.
Pursuant to R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11.1 the Superintendent or designee shall consider appointment of all teachers, athletic coaches, instructional or administrative aides, and other personnel assigned to the school sites, consistent with district personnel policies, collective bargaining agreements, and based upon the recommendation of the relevant site based administrator.
School Principals’ recommendations for appointment shall be consistent with this staff hiring policy, as well as other relevant policies and protocols established by the School Committee and protocols as established by the Superintendent or designee.
D. Reporting Appointments to the School Committee.
The Superintendent or designee shall report all appointments to the School Committee on a monthly basis.
E. Template Contract and Compensation
In furtherance of this policy, the Superintendent shall submit template employment contracts to the School Committee from time to time, for its approval. Such employment contracts as applicable, shall be utilized by the Superintendent when appointing personnel in the District. The Superintendent is explicitly authorized to execute said contracts for initial hiring and renewals of employment on behalf of the District[4] and such contracts shall be valid and binding as if entered into by vote of the Committee.
Additionally, the Superintendent shall set levels of compensation and benefits consistent with this Hiring Policy and the District Compensation Policy.
F. Superintendent Authority to Promulgate Hiring Protocol
The Superintendent is hereby authorized to promulgate a Hiring Protocol in accordance with this policy.
DISTRICT HIRING PROTOCOL
I. General
Every position in the District, which in the judgment of the Superintendent or designee, must be filled to meet the needs of the District, shall be filled by a candidate with the knowledge and skills that best matches the needs of the District.
Recruitment may be directed both to those not currently employed by the District and to those currently employed by the District in other positions. Consideration of internal and external candidates may allow the District to place the most effective and experienced staff in the locations and position where they are most needed in compliance with State and Federal Law as well as the BEP.[5]
Consistent with applicable law, regulation, and terms of applicable collective bargaining agreement (if any), all applicants shall be given appropriate consideration when filling vacant positions. The Superintendent or designee is the responsible authority for appointment of all such personnel.
a. Advertising for Position
All posted vacancies which do not result in appropriate applicants from the Smithfield School Department’s staff may be made available to be filled by appropriate public instrumentalities such as advertising on School Spring, a paper of general circulation, and or placement instrumentalities through the internet or placement agencies or through other outreach efforts.
b. Applications, Descriptions & Postings
Upon approval of the Superintendent or designee, the School District shall promulgate appropriate form applications and job descriptions, including functional job descriptions, and job postings (where appropriate) for each position in the District.
A Smithfield School Department application shall be deemed to be complete upon receipt of a letter of application, a resume, college transcripts, Rhode Island Certification, and/or equivalent, at least two (2) letters of reference, a criminal background check (as deemed necessary by the District), and a completed application form.
Candidates shall send a letter of interest for each vacant position for which they wish to be considered whether their application is currently active.
II. Screening Committee for Appointment of School Principals and Administrators and Other Personnel Not Assigned to Individual Schools
A screening committee appointed by the Superintendent or designee consisting of at least one parent*, one staff member, and an administrator who may be the successful candidate’s immediate supervisor, will screen the applications and conduct candidate evaluations under the direction of the Superintendent or designee, using guidelines established by the Superintendent or designee, for each vacant position.
Candidate evaluations may include interviews, site visits, background checks, and any other method of candidate evaluation considered appropriate by the Superintendent or designee. If the Superintendent or designee requests the screening committee to conduct candidate interviews, all interview questions must be approved by the Superintendent or designee prior to being used in an interview setting.
As an outcome of any interviews, the presiding administrator shall prepare a brief narrative, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, for the Superintendent. This narrative must be aligned with the initial directives and guidelines established by the Superintendent or designee and charged to the screening committee prior to the interviewing process. The information from the district’s Personnel Action Form may be used.
Any certified staff member utilized as a member of the screening committee may be selected from a pool of volunteers who presently or formerly participated on a SIT. Certified staff members will be selected by a lottery from volunteers. The Superintendent or designee will conduct the lottery.**
The parent member of the screening committee may be selected from a pool of volunteers who presently or formally participated on a SIT. Parent volunteers may also be selected from the school’s parent organization membership. If a vacancy occurs at a school for which no parent volunteer is available, a volunteer from another school may be selected. The lottery will be conducted by the Superintendent or designee.**
In schools where no parent organization exists, the Superintendent or designee shall formulate a list of parents who are active volunteers in District activities and events. These parents will serve as the volunteer pool for the hiring process and shall be selected by lottery for participation on the screening committee.
** Lotteries will be conducted in situations where there are more volunteers than seats on the screening committees. In the case of a lottery, the names of interested volunteers will be randomly selected by the Superintendent of designee.
Alternatively, the Superintendent or designee may, at his/her discretion, elect to employ a district-wide hiring procedure as follows:
· The Superintendent or designee will select the appropriate number of district-wide teams to conduct the initial candidate evaluations.
· The teams will be comprised of principals, parents, and teachers and may include a central office administrator(s)/director(s)
· Parents and teachers shall be selected from the school volunteer pools where vacancies exist.
The Superintendent or designee shall also conduct additional interviews, site visits, background checks, and any other method of candidate evaluation considered appropriate by the Superintendent or designee.
If the Superintendent or designee concludes that the candidate(s) does not possess the qualities required by the District, the School Department may re-advertise for the position in question or may elect to interview any other applicant whether or not recommended by the screening team.
The Superintendent or designee shall interview the two top applicants. A list of questions shall be developed to be asked at this level of interview. In addition, the Superintendent or designee may ask other relevant questions.
The School District Human Resources Department shall verify the applicant’s past employment, educational experience, references, and certifications.
The Superintendent or designee shall appoint the successful candidate. The Superintendent or designee’s decision shall be based upon his/her best independent judgment in conformance with state law[6].
The Superintendent may promote an Assistant Principal to the position of “Interim Principal” without advertising or conducting interviews for the position. The interim position shall be for the remainder of that school year or until a candidate for the principal position is selected following the district’s hiring process. The Superintendent may appoint a staff member to the position of “Interim Assistant Principal” when the current Assistant Principal is acting as an Interim Principal.
III. Appointment of School Site Personnel other than Principals.
The Superintendent shall consider appointment of all teachers, athletic coaches, instructional or administrative aides, and other personnel assigned to the school sites, consistent with district personnel policies, collective bargaining agreements, and based upon the recommendation of the site-based administrator.
A screening committee for these positions is appointed by, and includes, the Principal or designee and shall consist of at least one parent, one staff member, one member of the SIT who is not employed in the District, and an administrator. The committee will screen the applications and conduct candidate evaluations under the direction of the Principal, using guidelines as established by the Superintendent or designee.
Candidate evaluations may include interviews site visits, background checks, reference checks, and any other method of candidate evaluation considered appropriate by the Principal. If the Principal requests the screening committee to conduct candidate interviews, all interview questions must be approved by the Superintendent or designee prior to being used in an interview setting.
As an outcome of any interviews, the presiding administrator will prepare a brief narrative summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate for the Superintendent. This narrative must be aligned with the initial directives and guidelines that were established by the Principal and charged to the screening committee prior to the interviewing process. Information from the District’s Personnel Action Form may be used.
Any certified staff member utilized as a member of the screening committee may be selected from past or present SIT volunteers. Certified staff members may be selected by a lottery from volunteers. The Superintendent or designee will conduct the lottery.
The parent member of the screening committee may be selected from a pool of volunteers who presently or formally participated on a SIT or from the parent organization at the school where the vacancy exists. If a vacancy occurs at a school for which no parent volunteer is available, a volunteer from another school may be selected. The lottery will be conducted by the Superintendent or designee.
In schools where no PTO exists, the principal may formulate a list of parents who are active volunteers in school activities and events. These parents may serve as the volunteer pool for the hiring process. The lottery will proceed as above.
Alternatively, a district wide hiring procedure outlined in section II above may be employed.
Consistent with the relevant collective bargaining agreement, if the Principal concludes that the candidate(s) does not possess the qualities required by the school site, the School Department Central Office may re-advertise for the position and the Principal may elect to interview any other applicant whether or not recommended by the screening team.
The Principal shall interview the two top applicants. If, however, the Principal does not sit on the screening committee interviews, the Principal shall interview the top three candidates.
A list of questions shall be developed to be asked at this level of interview. In addition, the Principal may ask other relevant questions. The School District Human Resources Department shall verify applicants’ past employment, educational experiences, references, and certifications.
The Principal shall recommend appointment of the successful candidate to the Superintendent or designee for his/her consideration. The Principal’s decision shall be based upon his/her best independent educational and judgment in conformance with state law. If the Superintendent rejects the Principal’s recommendation, the Principal shall review all other applicants for the position and present additional candidates until the position is filled.
Substitutes
a. Substitute Teaching Positions
An advertisement for needed substitutes may be placed on School Spring, as well as in a paper of general circulation and/or via internet, or placement agency on an annual basis. An applicant will be asked to submit a copy of his/her certifications, resume, and signed waiver for a criminal background check, along with a Smithfield application. Upon receipt of the above and clearance of the criminal background check, the candidate’s name will be added to the substitute list.
Substitutes will be evaluated by the building level administrator using an evaluation instrument obtained from the Superintendent or designee.
b. Non-Certified Substitutes (Clerks, Aides and Custodians)
On an annual basis an advertisement for needed clerk and aide substitutes will be placed in a paper of general circulation and/or via internet, or placement agency.
Applicants will be asked to submit a Smithfield application and the waiver for a criminal background check.
c. Substitute Clerks
The Superintendent or designee will determine the number of substitutes needed. The Superintendent will select the interview personnel.
Those applicants whom the interview personnel find suitable and who have passed the background and reference checks will be placed on the substitute list in rank and number to be decided by the Superintendent or designee.
d. Substitute Teacher Assistants
The Superintendent will determine the number of teacher assistants necessary at a given time. The Superintendent will select the interview personnel. The Superintendent or designee will determine and direct the candidate evaluation team. Upon passing the evaluation team and clearance of the criminal background and reference checks, the applicant’s name will be added to the substitute list.
e. Custodians
The Superintendent or designee will determine the number of custodial substitutes necessary at a given time. The Superintendent will select the interview personnel.
The School Department will validate all references and past work experiences. Upon clearance of the criminal background and reference checks, the applicant’s name will be added to the substitute list.
IV. Criteria for Hiring
When hiring, promoting or transferring non-administrative certified staff, the administrator shall consider:
1. Qualifications which shall include experience in an actual job held, including special qualifications that may be required or educationally desirable for a position and must be student focused.
2. Certifications held.
3. Professional development each applicant has engaged in.
4. Participation on professional/district level/school level committees.
5. Work history with the District including but not limited to: attendance, effectiveness within various student populations, student achievement/results, and recent experience in relevant subject matter.
6. Laid off status and work experience will be used as a tiebreaker in the event that two candidates are deemed by the Superintendent or designee to be equally highly qualified and highly effective.
7. Results of evaluations.
8. Successful interview.
9. Discipline history.
10. Other relevant data pertinent to the position.
11. When all qualifications, as noted in items 1 through 10 above are equal, seniority shall prevail.
12. Any decision of the Administration regarding an assignment or transfer or promotion is subject to the grievance process, if required by the relevant collective bargaining agreement.
13. If only one person applies for a position, he/she will be vetted through the above process. If the District determines that the sole candidate is not suitable, then the District may advertise externally.
14. Other requirements as set out in the relevant collective bargaining agreement.
V. Forms and Format for Hiring, Promotions and Transfers
The Human Relations Department shall promulgate, with the approval of the Superintendent or designee, appropriate forms and other materials, consistent with district policy and protocol, for use by screening committees and appointing administrators in the hiring, promotion and transfer process.
Parents and community members shall not be given access to confidential personnel information
ADOPTED: January 3, 2023
[1] BEP G-15-1.2(c).
[2] R.I.G.L. 16-2-9(3),(14),(15) ,16-2-11(a)(4) and 16-2-11.1
[3] BEP G-15-2.2(a).
[4] R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-9(a)(14),(18),(23).
[5] BEP G-15-2.2(b)(1), see also Commissioner of Education Letter to Superintendents dated October 20, 2009 re: Basic Education Program Regulations and Seniority Based Teacher Assignments.
[6] R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11.