The Husky Huddle

Forging Educational Excellence: Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michael Irizarry's Strategy for Attracting and Supporting Top Educators at Olean City School District

• Genelle Morris

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Imagine stepping into a school district radiating with pride and a mission-driven team ready to make a difference. That's exactly what Dr. Michael Irizarry, the Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services in the Olean City School District, does every day, and he's here to share the playbook on how to recruit and retain the cream of the crop in education. In our latest Husky Huddle episode, we go behind the scenes of what it takes to create a thriving educational team. Dr. Irizarry, in his inaugural year, has not only woven the district's values into his strategy but also ensured that each new educator is met with unwavering support, much like the mentorship program enhanced by Sarah Morris.

As we celebrate the induction of new Huskies into our pack, we reflect on the exceptional culture that makes our district stand out in a sea of red and gold. Dr. Irizarry's insights, coupled with the vibrant community spirit, underscore the importance of a supportive environment where both educators and students flourish. Joining this episode, he leaves us looking forward to the future with anticipation for continued collaboration and shared successes. So, sit back and listen to how the Olean City School District is not just recruiting teachers but nurturing leaders and innovators for a brighter educational future.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you for joining me on my most recent and most latest podcast of La Hacienda. I am so excited to finally pin down our assistant superintendent from the Olean City School District, dr Mike Irizarry, who is here in person and looking happy to be here to talk to us today. So, without further ado, michael, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and then you can tell us why you're here.

Speaker 2:

Well, I am here today because it had to happen. Yes, it did. I need to be here. I just wanted to make sure everyone else had the first trial runs to do this, and then, of course, you know, save the best for last, so to speak. Right, a little bit about myself. So I'm enjoying my first year here, about 10 months in. I really enjoy being the assistant superintendent and one of the things that's unique about this position is that it really integrates a lot of human resources into the instructional side of programmatic development and planning and where we're going and always looking down the horizon while we work to better today in the school. And so I come from Marilla, new York, which is a little past East Aurora, so it's about an hour 20 minute drive, not too far from there. Yeah, the country store. So people, if they go up that way, they know where the Marilla Country Store is.

Speaker 1:

Not the Toy Store.

Speaker 2:

Not the Toy Store, but not too far from Fisher-Price. And yeah, it's a nice rural community. It provides some extra time on the drive for some podcasts and calls from the wife and you know, add to the list and this podcast and this podcast, yes.

Speaker 1:

Nice, good answer, good answer.

Speaker 2:

So I enjoy it. So, yeah, I enjoy being here.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, and how would you describe your first year?

Speaker 2:

So there's a learning curve. So I'm always studying and reviewing and reading practices and policies. But Olean has been very welcoming and the stakeholders they want to work, they want to partner. There's a lot of pride here and people take pride in wanting to better the school. They want to better the programs, they want to provide more opportunities for students and I'm happy to be a part of that tradition.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, all right, well, thank you. So you are here to discuss something very, very specific with our listeners, who may be existing Huskies or may want to be a Husky. What is that topic?

Speaker 2:

So I'm going to talk about recruitment and retention.

Speaker 1:

Okay, awesome. Well, the floor is yours.

Speaker 2:

All right. So here we go. My role in the hiring and recruitment process is really multifaceted. Each year as the academic calendar draws to a close, I find myself deeply involved in the intricate dance of finding the right educators to join our diverse community. It all begins with a comprehensive review of our staffing needs for the upcoming school year. Working closely with principals and our business administrator, we assess our current staff composition, projected enrollment and any programmatic changes that may impact staffing requirements for Olean. Then, once we've identified our needs, we embark on a strategic recruitment campaign. We embark on a strategic recruitment campaign. This involves posting job openings through various channels, attending job recruitment fairs and leveraging our network of educators and alumni, and this is especially strong here in Olean. I believe in casting a wide net to attract a diverse pool of candidates who not only possess the requisite skills and qualifications, but also embody the values and ethos of our district.

Speaker 1:

So how do you find the right Husky?

Speaker 2:

Well, there's a lot of different ways. We have newspaper ads, we're going to have ads in the radio, we are talking to colleges through affiliations, talking to graduates through alumni, through professors so there is really truly a wide net through affiliations here that I'm not used to and it's really great to see that we've even added to those lists of college affiliations this year and from all those different opportunities to meet people and talk to potential candidates. When those applications start pouring in, each one is meticulously reviewed and we pay close attention to candidates' experiences, references and alignment to our district's mission and vision and vision. We're not just looking for educators, but we're seeking individuals who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of students here in the Olean City School District.

Speaker 1:

Awesome. And who liked to wear red and gold?

Speaker 2:

Has to be Right and they get to choose a tumbler red or gold.

Speaker 1:

Right, right, that's important.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, tumblers are a big deal. And after we talk to them we invite them in for interviews. And interviews are a very crucial step here, and we take great care in conducting thorough interviews. And each interview committee is very professional and they take the confidentiality very seriously in their work. And we assess candidates' professional abilities. But we also gauge their interpersonal skills and the cultural fit within our school community, and we believe here that a harmonious working environment is essential for fostering collaboration and student success.

Speaker 2:

One aspect of our recruitment process that I'm particularly proud of is our mentorship program. Recognizing the challenges the new teachers often face, especially in their first year, we pair each new hire with an experienced mentor. These mentors provide invaluable support, guidance and encouragement as their mentees navigate the joys and challenges of teaching in our district, whether it's right out of the gate from college or they have experience. But it's their first year here at Olean. Throughout last summer I oversaw the orientation sessions for new hires, where they introduced a new curriculum, instructional practices and district practices. It's also time for them to connect with their mentors and build relationships that will sustain them throughout the year. One of the things we've also done in our staff retention efforts was to add a mentor training to the established mentor program in the fall. Staff retention efforts are essential for Olean because increasing the likelihood of positive educational outcomes prioritizes the well-being and success of both students and our new staff members.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

So Sarah Morris, who's a Washington West second grade teacher, Was already been on the podcast.

Speaker 2:

Yes, ahead of me making sure everything was working fine. She is currently working on her administrative internship and she has taken a crucial leadership role in terms of planning, agenda development and event coordination to make our new mentee meetings meaningful for our new staff and we've already had one earlier this year and Sarah partnered with Rachel Schreiber, who is the president of the Olean Teacher Association, to lead the first session and there were pictures from the session and you can tell teachers they were enjoying themselves. They were able to discuss trials and tribulations and successes of their first year with their peers and you know, I heard that it was a really good event and one of the things that I believe in that we've partnered with the Teachers Association is on is that it's really led by the teachers for the teachers and they really buy into that. We have another one coming up. We do.

Speaker 2:

May 8th is our next one. In looking ahead to this summer, we're working to add a second day to our new teacher orientation. This additional time will provide opportunities for additional presentations for our new staff as well as essential time for our mentors and mentees to collaborate and prepare for the start of the 24-25 school year. And you're hearing it first on this podcast, but one of Olean's own, mr Mike Martel, has agreed to be the tour guide for our first tour that we're going to incorporate for our new staff.

Speaker 1:

Will there be a Husky mobile?

Speaker 2:

We're going to try to arrange for a Husky mobile.

Speaker 1:

Will the Husky be present?

Speaker 2:

I'm working on the Husky next. She doesn't know it, but I'm going to be knocking on her door about the Husky. We need to have the Husky. We may have to keep the Husky in air conditioned in the Husky mobile.

Speaker 1:

I'm looking forward to this.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. And then, as we look for the academic year to keep unfolding, our teacher mentors are actively involved in supporting new teachers and monitoring their progress. I've had several meetings with some of them. The mentors are also writing down notes to update the onboarding book they used as a guide for talking points and activities and discussions with their new mentees. They conduct regular check-ins and talk about professional development opportunities with their mentees to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to thrive in their new roles as colleagues here in the district. So, looking back at my time in Olien so far, I do find immense satisfaction in seeing our mentor plan efforts come to fruition. The careful selection of mentor teachers who share their values, expertise and who provide long hours of ongoing support is especially strong here at Olean and I look forward to continuing that with our year one mentees will be provided another year of mentorship next year, as well as introducing the next year one cohort for the 24-25 school year.

Speaker 1:

Fantastic.

Speaker 2:

So the last plug-in I can say is we're very busy with hiring right now and as the hiring season continues, I'll remain committed to upholding the standards of excellence and investing in the continued growth and development of our staff here at Olean City School District Awesome.

Speaker 1:

If someone wants to join our team. Where do they go? How do they do it?

Speaker 2:

They can go to our website. Our website on the HR page will direct them either to Schoolfront, which is updating, or to the One Eric site which is also updating their platform for ease of navigation to apply and then also for the onboarding process that we're looking to update that electronically to really meet our candidates where they are and have a lot of the preparation in terms of paperwork done ahead of time so we can onboard them quicker.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and there's lots of different roles available, lots of different ways. You can become a Husky now, right.

Speaker 2:

Yes, we've filled some roles, but we're currently looking for elementary and secondary special ed teachers, school psychologists. We'll be interviewing for math and English teachers, a social studies teacher. We need an athletic trainer. That's very important. And for civil service, we do have some openings in an informational tech specialist as part of our IT department who's really a computer tech, a first level responder to technical needs within the district. And we also, through civil service, have some keyboard specialists or secretary positions. One is in the CSC office, another one is in our Eastview Elementary that we are looking to fill.

Speaker 1:

Fantastic, and we are open to people relocating coming here if they would like.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and one of the neat things that we're going to have soon is that there's a group that is putting together what makes Olean great type of video, and once that video is done, I want to get a QR code to that so that we can direct candidates at job fairs, job events earlier this year who may not know the area maybe just St Bonaventure specifically about all the great reasons why settling here in the local area is good and what there is to do and what the area has to offer.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because it's a great treasure. Once you come here, you're going to love it. So we'll take any good educators who want to be part of our Husky team. Now you know how to join our Husky team. You know we have the most awesome colors red and gold and we've got the best students, staff and faculty, and we are so happy to have anybody who is really truly dedicated to our district join our team. So well. Thank you for finally coming on our Husky Huddle. I appreciate it. I am so happy that now everyone knows how they can join our wonderful team.

Speaker 1:

I'm thankful to have you on our team. You're welcome we hope that you will be on here several times more in the future.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, I promise.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you so much, Thank you.