Wilmington Schools Experiencing Staffing Challenges, But In Much Better Shape Than Most Districts; Taking Steps To Diversify Workforce

WILMINGTON, MA — Last night, the Wilmington School Committee got some reassuring news from Andrea Stern Armstrong, the district’s Director of Human Resources, regarding the district’s staffing levels for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.

“Overall, we’re in a good place,” Armstrong told the Committee, providing a personnel update with just eight vacancies. 50 positions, meanwhile, have been filled with new hires and transfers.

“There are emails going around… where other districts have 200 openings for teaching positions. A few [districts] around us have more than 20 paraprofessional positions open,” she added. “I feel like we’re in a better place and ready to open up the school year.”

“It’s amazing the shape we’re in,” responded School Committee Stephen Turner. [The number of vacancies] is not 20 or 30. It’s amazing how much work you’ve accomplished this summer. It’s greatly appreciated.”

Armstrong did acknowledge, however, that Wilmington is not immune to the staffing issues that schools across the state and country are facing.

“Attracting and retaining staff has improved overall, but remains a challenge in many respects,” wrote in a memo. “Many positions remain hard to fill with often too few applicants, such as school psychologists and more intensive Special Education positions.”

Armstrong also stressed that resignations can occur at anytime, and — in fact — she received one earlier this week week. She also cited a couple of recent examples where applicants accepted positions, but then unexpectedly backed out.

According to Armstrong, the district does have a plan in place to cover the few vacancies that may still exist once the school year begins next week, and has been utilizing outside job agencies to fill positions which have not attracted qualified candidates.

The district’s most high-profile vacancy is the Assistant Principal position at Woburn Street School, after Sheila Burke resigned to become Assistant Principal at the Brooks Elementary School in Medford.

Armstrong also announced that Wilmington Public Schools was recently accepted into the Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education (MPDE), an organization “committed to recruiting and assisting in producing career opportunities for educators and administrators from diverse backgrounds, and forming collaborative relationships that will enhance staff diversity within our schools districts.”

“The goal is to connect with other districts, diversify our staff, and learn some other things to bring back to our students and our schools,”said Armstrong, who is looking forward to attending her first meeting with the organization.

Superintendent Brand noted Wilmington’s entry into MPDE supports the commitment outlined in the district’s new strategic plan to diversify its workforce “by recruiting, hiring and advancing highly-qualified staff that also represent the diversity of the Wilmington community.”

Acceptance into the MPDE is competitive, and many interested communities are regularly declined. Wilmington joins Lexington, Lincoln-Sudbury, Westford and Woburn as participating districts in the area.