Our Hiring Process

Application and Approval

Applications are screened by members of the District administrative team.  Members of the administrative team look for staff members who are student centered, highly engaged, and focused on professional learning and development.  In general, our administrative team will interview applicants for a position and then bring in a smaller group of applicants to meet with members of the school team.  Finally, the school administrators make a recommendation to the Superintendent to hire someone and the superintendent will engage the candidate in an interview to ensure that s/he meets all of the qualifications necessary.  The superintendent then seeks approval from the Board of Education at their next regularly scheduled meeting.

Prior to hiring, the District checks the references of its applicants.  Members of our team check with the Illinois State Board of Education to ensure that the candidate has the appropriate teaching credentials for the position they have applied.  Additionally, all applicants who are recommended for hire must undergo a fingerprint background check and their name is checked in several databases in accordance with State and Federal laws with regard to sex offenders and child murderers.

Training and Mentoring

Once a candidate is approved for hiring, they will receive a copy of their contract and will be assigned a mentor by their building principal.  The mentor will serve as a guide during the first year of a staff members employment and will attend all new staff member orientation events with the new staff member.  In addition to the regular back-to-school activities, new staff members arrive early and are given extra training and staff development on topics related to their positions.  Training is ongoing throughout the first year of a staff member's tenure in the district.

There are also several required trainings that are completed by staff members each year including the following:

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (Every other year)
  • Bloodborne Pathogens
  • Bullying Prevention
  • Cultural Competency & Racial Bias (Every other year)
  • Diabetes Care Training
  • DCFS/ Child Abuse Neglect/ Mandated Reporter Training
  • Educator Ethics (Every other year)
  • Food Allergy Awareness & Action (Every other year)
  • Mental Health Issues Identification & Courses of Action (Every other year)
  • Mental Illness & Suicide Prevention (Every other year)
  • Preventing Waste and Fraud ((Every other year)
  • Sexual Harassment (Every other year)
  • Student Discipline Training (Every other year)
  • Student Records (ISSRA & FERPA) (Every other year)
  • Supporting students with Asthma (Every other year)
  • Supporting students with Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Every other year)
  • Teen Dating Violence (Middle School Staff - Every other year)

Additional training is provided to staff members in specialized roles (i.e. custodians, coaches, administrators, etc.).

After the first year, mentoring becomes a bit less structured, but expectations for meetings between mentors and mentees still exist.  Through this guided process during the first two years, the District hopes to successfully onboard its new employees.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lake Bluff School Distirct 65 does not discriminate in employment in district programs and activities on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, or handicap/disability in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1975.