Conroe ISD superintendent is given hiring power to secure more teachers
Conroe ISD Superintendent Curtis Null will temporarily have the power to make hiring decisions as the district tries to secure more teachers for the upcoming year.
Trustees on Tuesday agreed to give Null that authority for the next four months. Under the current policy, trustees approve all positions under the principal level as part of the consent agenda. That process from interviewing a candidate to board approval could take up to six weeks.
Conroe ISD has 131 job postings on its website which includes all positions in the district.
“We were losing teachers,” Null said. “It may be six weeks before we have initiated contact. Meanwhile, they don’t want to resign from their previous job because they want to have a contract in front of them.”
In Texas, districts use one-year contracts for teachers, librarians, and other campus-level educators.
With upcoming job fairs at Conroe and other nearby districts, Null said moving more quickly will be critical in securing more staff.
Conroe ISD has a job fair scheduled 9 a.m. to noon April 1 at Grand Oaks High School, 4800 Riley Fuzzel Road.
Null said he didn’t think the board needed to allow him to hire year-round.
“Our board book process (to approve new hires via the consent agenda) works fine year-round but during this crucial hiring period I think it would benefit us to move quicker,” Null said.
Null said the new process would allow principals to interview, check references and offer jobs to new hires. That, he said, would give those new hires the security of resigning from their current positions to accept a position with Conroe ISD.
“In this situation, we would be able to tell people you are hired,” Null said.
While the board was supportive, trustees Misty Odenweller and Melissa Dungan asked about keeping the board informed.
Dungan, who along with Odenweller and trustee Tiffany Nelson is new to the board, asked if the board would meet during the summer months so they could approve the new employees Null hires.
Null said the board doesn’t typically have as many meetings during the summer months. He said to ensure the board was informed, he would send out weekly or biweekly lists of new hires.
“It wouldn’t be anything covert,” Null said.