WEEK OF MARCH 14, 2024
VOLUME 129 | ISSUE 3
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Hiring challenges are longtime issue in county
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Housing, pay are factors that Elizabeth School District is addressing BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Historically, Elbert County’s rural school districts, fire and police departments, and municipal and county entities have all experienced difficulty attracting and retaining staff. A recent job fair hosted by the Elizabeth School District, which also brought in the Kiowa School District, the county and the Town of Elizabeth, aimed to tackle that issue. The difficulty in hiring even affects local businesses, some of which wanted to take part in the March 9 job fair but were prevented from doing so this time due to space limitations. Elizabeth School District Superintendent Dan Snowberger has utilized job fairs in every district he’s worked in as a tool to attract more applicants. Last school year, he organized two job fairs and hopes to make it an annual event going forward. ESD even created a commercial for the recent job fair, and Snowberger says Elbert County is “an amazing place to live and work” and he wants job-seekers to know that. Snowberger believes two of the main reasons Elbert County and ESD have had difficulty finding adequate
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EATERY ENRICHES LIFE IN ELIZABETH P20 Elizabeth High School was the site of a job fair in summer 2023 as part of the Elizabeth School District’s ongoing efforts to hire quality employees in a challenging environment. COURTESY OF ELIZABETH SCHOOL DISTRICT
staff are inadequate compensation and lack of affordable housing. It’s no secret that Elizabeth School District offers less monetary compensation than most surrounding school districts. “Unless we pay in a different fashion, it’s hard to compete,” Snow-
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berger said. To help address this issue, the school district has restructured its pay scale and how employees can increase their salary. The new compenSEE HIRING, P8
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