Relentless Recruiting: Attracting New Teachers to the Urban School District
For the past ten years, an influx of new teachers from out of state accepted offers to work at Richmond Public Schools (RPS) thanks in part to efforts by Venture Richmond (VR). This spring, educators were found at a teacher job fair in Pittsburgh, one of a handful of cities which produce a lot more teachers each year than it has teaching jobs. RPS recruiters like Bernette Johnson attend such events in hopes of attracting new teachers to the urban school district, but the competition is stiff.
As part of their ongoing efforts to attract and retain talented teachers to Richmond Public Schools, Venture Richmond celebrates the recruits’ first year of service with an appreciation event at the Riverfront Canal Walk.
That's where the efforts of Venture Richmond come in. Jim Ukrop along with several other area businesspersons walk the floors of the job fairs in search of bright and energetic new teachers.
"We look for prospective teachers with a spark in their eye and a fast gait. We use the hunter and skinner method," says Ukrop with a chuckle, explaining how the VR delegation is very aggressive in their recruiting tactics. After all, they're not messing around. They fly to the fairs via corporate jet. After hunting and finding prospects, members of the small delegation approach and engage them in conversation trying to drum up interest in the capital city. It's not unusual for the Richmond delegation to go so far as to lure a teacher out of some other city's long line.
"He is a relentless recruiter. He has the fire burning and that excites the young people," says Johnson of Ukrop's efforts. In Pittsburgh, "most of the young people who came to our table came because they were directed there."
Johnson said VR's efforts have been ongoing since she joined RPS more than 10 years ago. The small delegations fly to several of the larger teacher job fairs annually in places like Minneapolis, New York and Pittsburgh. They've also occasionally gone to other cities like New Orleans in past years.
Ukrop said he got the idea over a decade ago when he was co-chair of the education committee for Richmond Renaissance, one of the organizations which merged to form Venture Richmond several years ago. He learned at that time that 50 percent of RPS's teachers were expected to retire within five years.
He took action by enlisting the help of six or seven area businesspersons who were willing to travel to sell the urban school district to prospective teachers. He also found businesses willing to let the delegation use their corporate jets to fly to the job fairs.
By enthusiastically directing more people to RPS recruiters, more teachers grow interested in Richmond, more sign in at the RPS' booth, and more leave applications. After a vigorous screening process back in Richmond, some will get phone interviews, and a select few will get an invite to the city to interview in person.
At Pittsburgh's recruitment fair, Richmond's delegation walked the floors calling "math, science, special education," said Ukrop, explaining that the areas of need have changed somewhat over the years. "We didn't even talk to social studies and English teachers."
"That was my greatest need," says Johnson of the three certification areas sought after in Richmond. She is the school system's interim secondary staffing coordinator. "Mr. Ukrop is helping to recruit some of the best teachers and he enjoys it so much. His love for the city shows," she says.
