Knox County Schools streamlined its hiring process, and it's paying off for students

After Knox County Schools began last school year with 160 teacher vacancies , administrators are starting to see the effects of their revamped recruiting and retention programs. With a week to go before students return Aug. 8, the district had 62 teacher vacancies.

Part of the success stems from a "meet where they are" approach to those who are interested in becoming educators.

One of Superintendent Jon Rysewyk 's four priorities is putting great educators in every school. That led to an initiative called Teach Knox .

"We believe that everyone in East Tennessee has the potential to be a great educator," said Jennifer Hemmelgarn, Knox County Schools' assistant superintendent of business and talent.

The initiative simplifies the process of getting hired, Hemmelgarn said, by connecting candidates who meet educational standards with the licensing they need to work here.

For those considering teaching, Tennessee requires educators to be at least 18 years old, have an accredited bachelor's degree and be enrolled in or have completed an educator preparation program.

Dive deeper: Knox County Schools set to start year strong with far fewer vacancies than last year

Emily Jackson, a new fourth grade math teacher at Christenberry Elementary School , said her hiring process took just a week from submitting an application to receiving an offer. The district worked around her schedule and gave her the flexibility to interview virtually, she told Knox News.

Jackson moved to Knoxville to be closer to family and this will be her sixth year teaching.

Teach Knox is for everyone, from those looking to start a new career to veteran teachers. The first step in the process is for interested teachers and potential teachers to fill out a simple online form .

Then staffers in the business and talent division work to find candidates a spot in the district, including jobs that aren't teachers if that's a better fit. Candidates also get help connecting with licensing agencies, Hemmelgarn said.

Since launching the form, Hemmelgarn has seen interest from candidates as far away as California and Hawaii.

This year's new hires come from 26 states, according to data shared by district spokeswoman Carly Harrington.

The streamlined process and the district's new salary schedule helped to improve recruitment, Hemmelgarn said.

Increasing teacher salaries helps, too

District leaders commissioned a compensation study to help them update their pay scales to match the market demand. School board members followed the recommendations and every district employee got a raise.

The new salary schedule was described by district officials as "a strategic investment in people."

Areena Arora , data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com . Follow her on X @ AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Schools streamlined its hiring process, and it's paying off for students