Page 10 SCHOOL | FROM PAGE 2 across the district he has heard “again and again that there are concerns about too many unfilled positions [in the school district] and that we may be advertising our job openings too late and missing out on candidates. We are making adjustments to our practices to address these concerns.” On the action point of “nurturing a strong workforce within the district,” Assistant Supt. McLaughlin provided some details of some of the proactive moves she and other staff have taken on behalf of the Superintendent and the MPS district to forge a new path toward strengthening and enhancing both the present and future corps of educators and other staff. Assistant Supt. McLaughlin said Human Resources is doing a “huge push” right now, this week with early job postings for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, which begins in late August. She said that 50 job postings are being made on the Malden SchoolSpring platform, which is accessible nationwide. Included are retirements, vacant positions and highest needs positions, including English Learner (EL) and Special Education positions, she said. “This work of making sure we are filling every position is mission critical in terms of running an effective school system,” McLaughlin said. “The best candidates are out there now. They are not waiting Donate Your Vehicle Call (866) 618-0011 to donate your car, truck, boat, RV, and more today! ■ Support Veteran Nonprofi ts. ■ Free Pickup & Towing. ■ Top Tax Deduction. Donate Your Vehicle Today 866-618-0011 www.veterancardonations.org/dnt122 While we appreciate every donation, in some cases, we fi nd that we are unable to accept certain vehicles, watercraft, and/or recreational vehicles due to the prohibitive costs of acquisition. If you have any questions, please give us a call at (866) 618-0011. THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 7, 2025 until the summer to seek new jobs and apply for positions,” Dr. McLaughlin told the School Committee. She said steps have also been taken to communicate better on the open positions, such as enhanced job descriptions, reason you should teach in Malden and additions and improvements to the MPS website (www.maldenps.org) to further this goal. The Assistant Superintendent also explained how protocol now includes speedy response to inquiries made concerning MPS jobs: ”If someone makes an inquiry or submits an application and they do not hear back in a few days, they will move on.” Dr. McLaughlin said she and the leadership team has also been proactive in recruitment. “We have to go to where people are who want jobs,” she said. She said that just this past weekend she attended a large job fair in Brookline for prospecTIME | FROM PAGE 2 Overall, DFS code compliance officers could only confirm that smoke alarms were present and operated at about 35% of the fatal fire scenes they inspected. “Here in Massachusetts, most fire deaths take place at home and they’re most common during the overnight hours when we’re sleeping,” State Fire Marshal Davine said. “Tragically, we see this fact pattern play out again and again, especially with seniors in homes without working smoke alarms.” Older Adults at Greatest Risk More than half of last year’s residential fire deaths involved adults aged 65 and older. State Fire Marshal Davine and Chief Kelleher asked residents to check in on older relatives, friends, and neighbors who may need help installing, testing, or replacing their alarms. Seniors can also contact their local fire department, council on aging, or senior center for assistance: Department of Fire Services’ Senior SAFE grant program awardtive educators sponsored by the Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education. “I looked around and I saw that Revere was there, Medford and all of our close neighbors. What I did hear is that Malden is one of the only districts that can offer jobs right now for next school year,” Dr. McLaughlin said. She said there was another similar job recruitment fair at Bridgewater State University coming up soon that she will attend and make sure Malden is represented. She also said that she has already been in communications with various colleges and universities which educate prospective teachers to discuss Malden Public Schools job opportunities. Dr. McLaughlin also told of another innovation she and the MPS team has introduced to the hiring process where the “heavy lifting” of screening applicants and identifying candidates for interviews takes “some of that worked nearly half a million dollars to fire departments across Massachusetts last year to support assistance with alarm installation and testing. Replacing an outof-date alarm? The Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code requires replacement battery-operated smoke alarms in older oneand two-family homes to have sealed, long-life batteries and a hush feature. These alarms are easier to maintain and less likely to be disabled while cooking or by someone using the batteries for other household appliances. “Disabling a smoke alarm puts you and everyone in your building at risk,” said Chief Kelleher. “Never remove the batteries from a smoke alarm until it’s time to replace the batteries or the alarm itself.” Fire officials recommend that you choose alarms from a wellknown, national brand. Look for the mark of an independent testing laboratory such as UL or Intertek. Many Massachusetts fire departments have found alarms purchased through Amazon and load off of our administrators.” Additionally, she said, MPS has hired an independent consultant to assist in the recruitment of some of the positions that are “hardest to fill,” such as some EL and Special Education roles. Speaking on the overall Entry Findings, Supt. Sippel said that on Tuesday, March 25, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., he and his team will be hosting another Feedback Session for caregivers of MPS students regarding the Entry Findings, and this session will be held virtually, via Zoom. Details will be provided districtwide, he said, and information would also be available on the MPS website (www.maldenps.org). “We will be able to launch a strategic planning process later in the spring to forge both a short-term and long-term plan to address the six areas [of collective action] that have been discussed this evening,” Supt. Sippel said. other online retailers that do not meet the Fire Code – and may not perform when they’re needed most. “If the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. Carbon Monoxide Hazards Heating equipment is the leading source of carbon monoxide at home, Chief Kelleher said, and CO remains a hazard even in warmer weather. While many carbon monoxide incidents involve furnaces and other heating appliances, CO is also produced by stoves, grills, and vehicles, as well as generators put into use during a power outage. “Massachusetts firefighters report detecting carbon monoxide at about 5,000 calls each year,” said Chief Kelleher. “We can’t see, smell, or taste this silent, invisible killer. Working CO alarms are the only way to detect it. Please be sure you have them in place at home. If you hear them sounding, get out to fresh air right away and call 9-11 for help.” For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net
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