Editor, The Herald:

In a front-page article (“PE Has Numerous Teaching Vacancies”) in the Friday, June 26, issue of the Herald, Dr. David Smith, superintendent of the Prince Edward County Public Schools, states:

• “We’ve advertised heavily on the Internet, on all the major papers in Virginia…”

• “So we are planning to have all positions filled by the time school opens.”

• “… making really good progress.”

• “Like every other school division, we are in need of math and science teachers, “

Really?

So, why was a fully qualified math applicant, who clearly informed the Prince Edward central office that our school division was her first choice, allowed to slip away? Her application had been submitted weeks earlier. She repeatedly informed the district office that she had received another offer, but still preferred to teach at Prince Edward. She was told that her application was on the superintendent’s desk. Yet she did not receive an answer in time. We lost a qualified and motivated math teacher to a neighboring school division.

What is (not) going on?

Teri Kidd

Farmville

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the letter writer asserted matters of fact, we gave Prince Edward County Schools Superintendent Dr. David Smith an opportunity to respond. His response follows:

The writer asks a legitimate question, which is why the teacher application process takes time to complete.

Prince Edward County Public Schools follows a rigorous process to ensure that it hires the best candidate for each open position. The most qualified candidates are identified, interviewed by the school administrators, and/or the director of human resources. Once the top candidate is selected, character and professional references are obtained. The applicant’s file is then reviewed and approved by the superintendent.  Hiring is contingent upon the completion of a criminal background check as required by Virginia law.

The process is completed as expeditiously as possible. However, sometimes a particular candidate will receive a job offer from another school district during the process. That candidate might ask for special attention to his or her application. That request is accommodated to the extent possible. But each step of the process must be completed before an offer can be extended, and if the candidate feels too great a sense of urgency from the other school district, that candidate may choose to take the other job rather than wait. PECPS has also hired candidates who were awaiting an offer from another district.

It is unfortunate when a qualified candidate pulls out during the review process. But it would be more problematic to hire a teacher who has not completed all required professional credentialing, has prior negative employment references or has a character or legal issue that might have been discovered had the thorough review process not been cut short.

The approach of PECPS is that “doing it right” is more important than “doing it fast and skipping steps” because an applicant has another job offer. As a result, a good candidate may sometimes slip through our grasp. That is regrettable. But the

alternative may be that a less than desirable candidate slips through the process and is hired when steps in the hiring process are not completed.

We hope that our community agrees, and will continue to support our efforts to be thorough and competent in reviewing candidates for vacant positions. The children of Prince Edward County Public Schools deserve the best teachers we can hire, and that requires a rigorous hiring process.

Dr. K. David Smith

Division Superintendent

Prince Edward County Public Schools

Farmville