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New director leads effort to attract teachers
Published Tuesday, October 2, 2007
NATCHEZ — The new human resources director at the Natchez-Adams School District has a sharp focus on recruiting and retaining teachers.
The choices John Sullivan makes will have a big impact on the district’s schools.
Sullivan originally from Yazoo County, has worked as a school principal and has done work with juvenile offenders.
“My primary focus is to recruit and retain teachers,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan is in a constant search for highly qualified teachers.
“Obviously, every district wants the best teachers,” Sullivan said.
And Sullivan is feeling the pressure from other districts, like DeSoto and Madison.
“The North Mississippi area is a growing community. People are attracted to it,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also said that higher starting salaries in counties like DeSoto are more attractive to fresh graduates.
Sullivan said young graduates are more apt to relocate “they are not rooted yet.” While Sullivan strives to retain the already certified he is also constantly searching for new teachers.
“Obviously, every district wants the best teachers,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan is also trying to recruit educators from universities to teach in Natchez.
In addition, Sullivan must ensure that all teachers in Adams County meet certification requirements.
In June 2008, 50 teachers in Adams County will have expired certifications.
“I’m working on getting all of them recertified,” he said.
Sullivan is in the process of sending all 50 teachers monthly reminders and researching what each must do to retain certification.
Sullivan is confident that no teacher will allow his or her certification to lapse.
“We don’t want anyone waiting until the last minute,” Sullivan said.
Teachers need to be recertified every five years. Recertification normally consists of some type of continuing education program. Teachers may even take college courses to recertify.
In his new role in human resources Sullivan is trying to make the applicants feel as comfortable as possible.
Sullivan says he has an open-door policy for new applicants.
“If they come in to apply and they have questions, I’ll talk to them,” Sullivan said.
And it’s this type of compassion that got Sullivan hired.
“He’s a good guy. We interviewed several people. He had the strongest interview,” Assistant Superintendent Larry Little said.
“I have worked in small schools and big schools with all types of demographics,” Sullivan said.
Before moving to Natchez, Sullivan was principal of Shaw High School in Shaw.
So far, Sullivan said he has enjoyed his time in Natchez.
Comments
Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good Luck, Mr. Sullivan. Please, please, please, do your very best to bring quality teachers with experience, creativity and tenacity to Natchez. I know you have a challenge but ALL the citizens and parents in Natchez are pulling for you and WE expect you to produce just what we need.
With your experience working with juvenile delinquents, I hope that you will be able to implement some changes that will improve the quality of learning in the classroom. Getting the teachers here is one thing, keeping them here is another. So, I hope you're forging a campaign to solicit support from THE PARENTS to take on a more active role in their child(ren)'s education. It makes a difference in the student's life and it also boosts the morale of the teachers.
As for delinquency in our schools, I don't want to see Natchez experience some of the horrible things other schools throughout the U.S. have experienced with bullying, fighting and other delinquent behavior. No student, nor any teacher, should have to deal with any type of inappropriate behavior that's detrimental to the safety and welfare of the children, staff and teachers. Please adopt or enforce "a No-tolerance" policy and any other measures to deal with these issues.
Mr. Sullivan, we're counting on you to really make a difference. I will like to leave you with two quotes:
"Education is the ability to listen to anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." -- Robert Frost, poet
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -- Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm pretty sure that Mr. Sullivan will not come in direct contact with the students in a classroom setting. The HR director will need to be aligned with administrators (principals, assistant prin. ect.) to identify the changing needs of those positions which are vacant, and insure the needs of the faculty and staff are being met ( to the best of his ability)
As he mentioned, the difficulty will lie in recruiting and retaining young talent. There's a lot of competing districts that may offer more benefits vs. NASD.
Asked about the limited resources available during Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall replied, "We did the best we could with what we had."
Work with what you have and move onward, upward, forward....
Posted by thick1982 (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Sullivan is on the right track. But what gets me is there are a lot of teachers that has passed the Praxis who can not teach or handle a classroom. There are people who are struggling to pass the Praxis who would make excellent teachers. But the first thing a teacher say is "I'm certified"... but are you qualified? I guess its all in who you know, not what you know. I have known people who have went up for a job that was qualified but was turned down because the job was given to someone the boss or supervisor knew and the person they knew didn't know anything about the position. Most people are teaching for a paycheck and don't care if the children passes the MCT or that the school has dropped to a lower level. So my advice to you is, don't think that everyone who is certified is qualified.
Posted by revolutionary (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good luck Mr. Sullivan. I hope that you are a genuine person who is really wroking towards improving NASD unlike the majority of the people who work in the Braden building with you. Ignore what Dr. Morris has told you about Natchez, our students and their parents. He has worked here for many years and he has yet to leave any kind of legacy or anything of significance that he would be remembered for except failed leadership. You don't have to travel far to find good highly qualified teachers in this area from Natchez. Many have voluntarily left or have been unfairly ran off to surrounding areas districts to avoid the negativity, failure, lack of vision, hatred and low expectations of students, unsafe working environments, sorry excuses for principals who run in clicks and take out personal vendettas on good employees who have clean lifestyles which are the opposite of theirs, trifling excuses for board members who have no ties to the district, rude impolite disresctful superintendent who dislikes the community, the students, most of the teachers and the parents as well. I also hope that the person who wrote this article continues to write articles dealing with education because it seems accurate and unbiased. Let Julie stick to the puppies. Thanks.
Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Incognito, Mr. Sullivan WILL BE in the classroom. Let me explain why I say so: every teacher and staff member he hires will interact with those students either on a daily basis or one way or another. Their success, or failure, in the classroom, cafeteria, custodian quarters, on school grounds, etc. will have a direct affect on the students and the quality of the education they receive in our public schools. If they succeed, he may get commended for doing a good job, heck, he may even get a few pats on the back. But, IF THEY FAIL, he will probably have to explain why he hired them. Therefore, having the responsibility to hire those who serve our children puts him in the hot seat. In addition to the principal, Mr. Sullivan will "some explaining to do" if anyone he hires fails because they were not qualified to do the job or be in that classroom.
If you read Mr. Sullivan's comments in this article, he is not talking about aligning himself with the administrators. He already knows what the needs are because that has been established. Getting qualified and exceptional teachers in those classrooms is the #1 priority. It's not about the faculty and staff, at this point, it's about the students, the school's ratings, the test scores, and parental involvement. I bet his experience with juvenile offenders was also a positive factor in him getting this job. Every school district in the country is vying for the best possible teachers, both public and private schools. That's a given!
It is not only about accommodating the faculty and staff. It's about recruiting teachers and improving the quality of education in the Adams County Public School District (or, did I already say that). Anyway, I guess it requires repeating. And, if my memory serves me correctly, Mr. Sullivan's major focus and priority is recruiting and retaining good teachers, too.
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't mention "accommodating the faculty and staff", I said provide the needs, total difference.
I also didn't say that HE will align himself with the current administration. Please refer back to the blog.
This is from the prespective of Human Resources not in-as-much-as education. Please note that HR goes beyond paper work. One must focusing on recruiting/rentention, staffing, training/developing, benefits/compensation, forecasting upcoming employment demands, EEO compliance, managing conflict ect..if these issues are not monitored closely, the school could face lawsuits.
Also, how can we improve test scores if basic needs of employees aren't being met (Please google Maslow's Need Theory on motivation)?
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just because Mr. Sulivan will be a part of the hiring process does not directly connect him with being in the classroom. His objective should probably be to identify the current need(s), and provide a remedy for that need(s) of the school. The HR manager cannot be held totally accountable for the success or failure of an employee. Human Resource Management focuses on the human-side of the organization.
Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Incognito, in my opinion, you're kind of out in left field on this one. I fully understand what "HR" is all about. However, I stand by my comments because they are based on what this article is about because when the dust clears, it's all about the kids. I'm not negating the importance of all those things you listed. Of course, they will and must be addressed.
To directly quote what you said ". . . insure the needs of the faculty and staff are being met." Well, "insure the needs . . . are met does infer accommodation!! Now, I don't want to put words in your mouth, so, let's stick what what Mr. Sullivan states in this article. There is no mention of "insuring the nees of the faculty . . . " stated within this article. Therefore, this is of what I speak. I'm aware of what Maslow's Need Theory on motivation is without having to "google" it, but, we all know money is the first and foremost motivator that must be address. All that other stuff is for the birds. Pay them well and they will come. Then, when you get them on board, refer to Maslow's Need Theory on motivation to keep them there.
Posted by toomuchtime (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 12:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Poor revolutionary! Will there ever be an article on Natchez Adams School District where you won't turn it into a greivance against Dr. Morris? I keep looking for your name on the sports section to see if you think Dr. Morris is the reason the NHS Bulldogs are losing! Or maybe that is Julie's fault too!
More importantly, good luck to you Mr. Sullivan! You have a great task at hand and the true future of Natchez, the students, are depending on you to hire great teachers, or at least get rid of the ones who are not so great!
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ijohnson, my connotation does not entail providing wants (accomdation).
Again, I'm looking at this from an HR prespective! If this institution does not have quality teachers, how can a "quality" service be provided to the students? In order to acquire and retain those individuals, the institution must strive to provide for them. Personally, for me, to endure the challenges the public school system faces and in it for the salary a teacher earns would push me away. I find it hard to believe that in these times (especially with this NCLB) that most people would work in the public school only for money!
I realize that none of the above were mentioned in the original article, again, I addressed what I had read.
Also, refering to Maslow's Theory after an individual has been employed is being reactive (you may consider revisiting the hierarchy) . Hence arises a more ineffeicient/effective workplace.
Please note that HR functions go beyond recruiting/rentention.
Oh,By the way, I don't visit "left field" when discussing HR issues;)
Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 3:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Incognito, ??????? without going on and on into the hemisphere comparing "apples to oranges" by debating how Maslow's Theory applies here, I will like to call "stalemate". I do, however, stand steadfastly by my premise that recruiting quality and talented teachers comes with a price tag. Salary IS a major issue.
If you have the HR experience you imply you do, you would concur. It sounds wonderful to think that it should be a "labor of love". The people who love the profession will and have suffered through the challenges they encounter every day with the students, parents, administrators and other faculty members, AND the low salary, to continue to teach. However, a whole lot of talented and experienced teachers have left the profession to pursue higher-paying careers in other areas. These people have mortgages to pay and children to put through college. You can have all the motivation in the world but if you can't pay the bills, put food on the table and take care of your family because you're working for peanuts and there is no raise in sight, then, you stop the bleeding by finding more gainful employment that pays the bills.
I don't believe Maslow's Theory on motivation would be an effective application for elementary and secondary school teachers. But that's my opinion based on what I remember when I studied it over 20 years ago.
In response to your comment, "Oh,By the way, I don't visit "left field" when discussing HR issues;) ." I would hope you would visit John Sullivan's office to sit down and talk to him to see what his mission and vision for the school district, community, parents and students is, in more detail. Since Mr. Sullivan appears to have "an open door policy" for those interested in education and recruiting quality teachers, I would like to suggest that you visit with him as soon as possible. Then, share your findings with those of us in this forum who have an interest in seeing the school district succeed.
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 3:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
20 years!!!! Well, lets take a trip down memory lane. Take care.
Posted by Lilsister (anonymous) on October 3, 2007 at 9:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Sullivan appears to be a very fine person. I have had the pleasure of meeting him ,and I found him to have a very sweet spirit. Mr. Sullivan has done and is doing what Dr. Morris and many of the other veteran administrators have not done. He is out in the community meeting and communicating with people. He is making his vision and goals known, and he is asking for the support of like minded individuals. I have seen more of Mr. Sullivan in the short time that he has been here than I have seen of Dr. Morris, Dr. Loftin, Mr. M. Green, and other administrators in the past several years. We will surely improve our schools if Mr. Sullivan recruits more people like himself.
The hiring of Mr. Sullivan was one good thing that the school board did.
Posted by educated1 (anonymous) on November 9, 2007 at 12:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
EFFICIENT; PERSPECTIVE
Posted by sideline (anonymous) on November 30, 2007 at 7:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Watch yourself. Don't get caught up with that board and finally I hope you are not GAY. That's all I have to say.
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