Principal's View: Personnel

The State of Wisconsin charter school statutes mandate compliance with Wisconsin DPI licensure. Depending on whether the charter school is an instrumentality of the district granting their charter, teachers may or may not be district employees and subsequently eligible for state retirement benefits.

The personnel at a charter school are essential to fulfilling the mission of the charter. Typically, charter schools are in the enviable position of being able to hire a full complement of teachers specifically committed to the school's mission. The Wright Middle School staff has evolved since it opened as Madison Middle School 2000 in 1993. Of the original staff, three remain at Wright Middle School: Joe Wuellner, Linda Aten, and Jingyi Chen. Vacancies have been filled through the normal Madison Metropolitan School District hiring process.

Today, Wright's staff is diverse both in terms of experience, ethnicity, and teaching approaches. "Wright has the largest percentage of minority staff members - 19 percent - of the district's 11 middle schools. It has three minority classroom teachers, two minority professional support staff employees and a minority principal, out of a total professional staff of 31." (Wisconsin State Journal; Madison; Jan 9, 2000; Doug Erickson Education reporter; Page: 5A)

Ed Holmes, the principal of Wright Middle School was interviewed in the April of 2001 and shares some of his thoughts about personnel and hiring for a charter school.

How do you compose a teaching team dedicated to the mission and needs of the school's population?

A teaching team is initially developed from the available applicant pool. From the pool, it is necessary to identify those individuals who possess the necessary background and expertise that can be used to develop and deliver curriculum that meets state and local standards. It is essential to create a team that is compatible and able to work together. It is important to select the best people from the applicant pool, even if it takes several attempts. JCW contains a staff that possesses confidence, excellent teaching skills, good interpersonal skills, and diverse cultural backgrounds that match our student demographics. Parents, staff, and community members are utilized in creating successful teaching teams.

What interview questions do you use in hiring teaching staff?

The school principal creates a set of 10-12 questions to discuss why an individual is interested in working at JCW. Specific questions assess an applicant's background and professional knowledge in particular areas. Open-ended questions are devoted to strengths and weaknesses as a person and professional. Most teacher applicant questions are the same; however, the questions depend on the position (technology, math, science). Questions are scored on a scale of 1-5.

Sample questions for an academic applicant:

1. Why are you interested in the teaching position at JCW?
2. What are you passionate about as a teacher?
   
3. What can you bring to JCW in terms of your background and experience?
   
4. Describe your teaching experience working with a diverse student and staff population.
   
5. Describe your style of teaching and learning.
   
6. Describe your style of classroom management.
   
7. Describe your most successful teaching and learning experience. What were the outcomes?
   
8. What experience do you have in developing curriculum? How do design units and lesson plans?
   
9. What is your background and/or experience in using technology in the classroom?
   
10. What are your strengths as a teacher?
    
11. What are your weaknesses as a teacher?
    
12. Describe your involvement in extracurricular activities.
    
13. Do you have any questions about the school or position?

What are some tips you have on hiring key personnel?

The main issue is to find out the applicant's interest in being at JCW. It is important for applicants to be knowledgeable about the school's history and culture. This shows that they are prepared to discuss the school and position. Applicants who know about the school and ask informed questions about the school and available position will be able to make a conscientious decision about whether or not they want the job. It is very useful to have other staff or team members on the hiring committee since it provides staff with some ownership and the opportunity to be involved in developing the team. It is important for applicants to ask informed questions of the school. Do not settle for someone who will not meet the expectations of the position. Carefully check references. It is important to hire a solid candidate who has the ability to be successful.

Though Wright's approach to hiring is fairly traditional, staffing can be met in unique ways at a charter school. The Minnesota New Country School hires no teachers. Instead they contract with EdVisions, a teacher cooperative to provide instructional services to the school. There are also web resources that look at developing personnel policies from more of a national perspective.