I believe that the hiring, retaining, and training of exemplary teachers is one of the most important activities that a school system does. Teachers should be aggressively recruited from local and regional teaching programs. To do this, we must build relationships with the contacts at those programs, and make sure that Medford has a positive reputation within the program.
Most importantly, we need to begin recruiting before many of these teachers have taken positions at other districts. I have been told several stories about teachers who were interested in exploring a position in Medford, but who were either not contacted, or were contacted too late to be hired. As I mentioned in an answer to another question, Medford rarely has postings in the employment sections of Boston's major newspapers.
Another issue that affects Medford's ability to hire expediently is the apparent ability of current teachers to claim open positions before a new teacher is hired into that position. While I understand that this is necessary when a more senior teacher's position has been eliminated, the process sometimes conflicts with state regulations that place hiring decisions with the individual school principals. I would like to see Medford explore the possibility of clarifying these work rules with the teacher's union, so that a senior teacher's job security is intact, while allowing greater flexibility with new hires.
Additionally, we need to make sure that our existing teachers are provided with ongoing training to keep them knowledgeable about current best practices in education. By doing so, they will know that they are valued, and will be less likely to want to change to another school system.
