5 Tips from Ohio School Districts to Attract & Retain Staff
Panel participants at the 2024 Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference.
Most people are familiar with the famous quote by Chinese philosopher, Xun-zi, which says:
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
That’s exactly what seven Ohio school districts, including Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, Fostoria City Schools, Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools, London City Schools, Northridge Local Schools, and the Graham Family of Schools, did last year when they participated in the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Human Capital Resource Center Professional Learning Cohort.
What is the HCRC Professional Learning Cohort?
During the school year, these districts:
Engaged in workshops and coaching sessions
Networked with colleagues from across the state
Built their knowledge and skills around human capital best practices
And along the way, they implemented projects to improve the recruitment and retention of employees!
What Did They Learn?
In November 2024, several cohort members participated in a panel discussion at the Ohio School Board Association’s annual Capital Conference to share their experiences and lessons learned about attracting and retaining staff.
Here are a few key takeaways from these panelists:
Christopher Woofter, Director of Operations & Human Resources, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools
Mike Daugherty, Director of Technology & Information Systems, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools
Carla Shaw, Assistant Superintendent, London City Schools
Courtney Fleming, Director of Human Resources & Public Relations, Fostoria City Schools
1. Leadership presence is powerful.
Courtney Fleming: I worked on this project with our former superintendent and our cabinet director. It was important to know that the leadership and others across the district supported the work. I’ve heard feedback that people do feel supported, knowing they can talk to any administrator in the district.
Christopher Woofter: Our superintendent is very supportive of our work. We did a fun and engaging activity at orientation that she supported. Leadership presence is important.
2. People are your most important customers.
Christopher Woofter: Some of our original onboarding ideas were not going to work out. For example, a scavenger hunt with principals—no teacher wants to participate in this! Bouncing our onboarding ideas with teachers and principals was so important.
Courtney Fleming: I’m intentional about listening to feedback. I wanted to hear from staff. Next year, I would like to have mentors for our new staff members, not just teachers, and classified staff.
Carla Shaw: Always listen to feedback. Even if someone has worked in the district for 20 years, it is always important to listen to staff. Also, seek feedback from your new hires.
3. Personalize and localize.
Christopher Woofter: Connecting with new staff was one of our drivers. We have a community tailgate, turkey trot, high school musical, football games—and we wanted to invite all new staff to participate. We also asked community partners to cover costs as needed. For next year, we will add in Chagrin’s documentary film festival, and we will do more marketing. We did not want to make anything required, but we can improve our efforts to spread the word for next year.
Carla Shaw: We do a bus tour and invite our mayor to join, which helps to give a deeper perspective on the community.
4. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
Courtney Fleming: We looked at feedback from the previous year and made changes where needed but kept things that were successful the same. We do a community tour, which is important since many of our staff do not live in the district. People from different community groups talk with new staff and explain their connections.
5. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.
Courtney Fleming: My advice is to just get started. It does not have to be perfect or complete. Ask yourself and your team, what can we do to get it started and make it better for next year?
Christopher Woofter: Do not feel overwhelmed by doing something huge—start with one small thing.
Sound Interesting?
Are you a human capital leader at an Ohio educational organization, district, or school? Looking to enhance your skills and collaborate with colleagues to make a lasting difference?
