Cumberland Schools Spread Thin Entering First Full Day Of School

It is the first day of school in Cumberland County.

Director of Schools Billy Stepp said the system’s staff are ready for the year, but faculty will be spread thin to cover vacant positions.

“We’re at a point where we are almost completely staffed,” Stepp said. “We still have a few class spot positions and one or two teacher administration positions, but I am pretty confident we will get those filled pretty quickly. Other than that, we are ready to have an awesome year.”

Stepp said just like any other business, hiring was a slow process this summer. Stepp said the system saw a low application pool especially in support staff areas.

Stepp said it was predicted about 100 positions would be vacant, but that gap has significantly decreased. Stepp said job fairs, career pipelines with Tennessee Tech and possible future raises will be options the school board will review to get more candidates involved.

Stepp said the staffing is not unique to just Cumberland County. Stepp said many other systems are facing the same issue.