As Vernon Hills High School turns 26 years old this school year, many of the staff members who originally worked in the building when it first opened start to retire. VHHS is approaching a staff turnover in the next three years, as 24 staff members plan to retire.

This school year, one part-time staff member and 11 full-time certified staff members have been hired. For the following years, more staff members will have to be hired in order to fill in the vacancies left by retirees. 

“[VHHS’] culture is driven by three things: the students, our families in the community, and our staff. When [a school] starts to have turnover in staff, something [they] have to be intentional about is who [they’re] bringing in to be a part of that team and that family,” Joe O’Brien, assistant principal for teaching and learning, said.

With the amount of teachers that will have to be hired in the following years, what administrators and department chairs will commit to is keeping up with the rigor of the hiring process, in order to hire teachers aligned with the district’s mission.

“One of the consistent factors that speaks to students’ achievement is a high quality teacher in front of the classroom. So we take it really, really seriously,” O’Brien said. “We have a lot of [department chairs] in the building during the spring semester who are putting in a lot of time looking at all the people who are applying to work here.”

Hiring projection for following years

VHHS saw a dip in full-time and part-time hires immediately after the pandemic. Between 2019-2020, 12 full-time and three part time staff members were hired. But across a two-year span, only 11 full-time staff members were hired, with no part-time positions being filled. Then, between 2023-2025, 17 full-time staff and nine part-time staff members were hired. 

“This is really the first time in about six, seven years that we’ve had double digit new certified employees [in a year],” O’Brien said.

However, O’Brien explained that the dip was because of circumstances unrelated to the pandemic. 

“There’s a couple of reasons [for] why we would ever have larger new teacher groups. Sometimes it’s a [class demand] thing, sometimes just retirement, […] some teachers leave, things like that,” O’Brien said.

For this year, it’s projected four full-time staff will retire. The year after, nine staff members. Then 11 people two years from now, totaling to 24 retirements in a three-year period.

The hiring process

Initially, job openings are posted in D128’s website, which is processed through the Lake County Regional Office of Education for bigger outreach. As applications are submitted, department chairs start screening applicants. 

Each department chair is responsible for overseeing the hiring process for their department, as well as screening applicants themselves. 

“What we’re looking for when we read through applications is that the person who’s applying has the proper credentials and the right certifications,” Lynne Benson, Career and Technical Education department chair, said. “This past spring there were clearly some candidates who chose to use AI to help them write their answers. It became obvious with some of those applicants when they referred to our DARING mission and had the wrong words associated with the letters.”

For candidates who “take the time to research the district, get to know the job and show professionalism and interest in the position,” the next step in the hiring process is to do a phone screener, then a video screener, according to Benson. 

“If the candidate meets what we’re looking for, we’ll move them to a panel interview, where we have anywhere from eight to 12 people that are teachers in the department or people who would work with this person in some other capacity,” Benson said.

At that point, applicants will have been narrowed down to around three. After the panel interview, the top two applicants will speak with the principal, Andrew Young. After the talk, the principal recommends candidates to the district office, who have the final say in hiring decisions. 

Gabriela Perez, a new English teacher, felt positive towards her job prospect and the D128 community after her interview. 

“I felt so happy. It was a panel and everyone was very welcoming and inviting; I felt very comforted,” Perez said. “You can just tell everyone really liked who they worked with and their job, so it made me want to be a part of a team where everyone works together towards the same goal.”

The hiring philosophy

“It is a lengthy process, and it’s important. Our former superintendent, Prentiss Lea, always said the most important thing we do is hire because the people that are in our buildings are the people who most directly work with our students, and our students deserve the best,” Benson said.

According to O’Brien, new hires have the opportunity to influence VHHS’ culture with new perspectives and skills, making hiring decisions a crucial step in ensuring the school keeps true to their DARING mission. 

“You want to find people who are going to, on some level, fit right, who will make an adjustment, and will help us build and maintain [our] culture,” O’Brien said. “I think it’s also important to value new ideas, and it’s important to value new perspectives. So, it’s a balance between ‘how will you fit in with what already exists?’ and ‘what will you bring to help us get better?’”

Standards for hiring

Every newly-hired certified staff member is paired up with a teacher mentor who guides them into transitioning to VHHS, as well as an instructional coach who answers any questions about the building that might arise. Mentors communicate expectations and share about school culture. 

“[Whoever] you talk to about [D128], [always has] really high things to say about the district,” Mack Ryan, newly-hired special services teacher, said.

According to O’Brien, the biggest priority in hiring, no matter the pool of applicants, is always the student’s needs. 

“[Department chairs] feel a great sense of responsibility in the process of bringing people in. It’s an investment in the people who we are going to entrust with the safety, education and care for the most important people in the building, the students,” O’Brien said.