The hiring process for certified and non-certified positions begins with a written job description outlining essential duties. A posting is developed from this job description and posted for at least 5 days in locations throughout the school system. Positions are listed in local and regional newspapers.

The APS Personnel Office receives all applications and then initiates a system wide screening process from which individual schools select candidates for further interviews. The hiring committee selects 1 to 3 candidates for each position. If the pool of candidates does not generate the required number of recommendations, the posting process begins again.

The Education Reform Act of 1993 states that at least one candidate must be recommended to the Superintendent by the Principal. However, it remains the Principal's option to send more than one candidate for review. The Principal is responsible for final decisions regarding which candidate is the top (or only) candidate and presents that candidate to the Superintendent. The Superintendent has the right to reject any candidate, at which point the process continues and the Principal presents the next candidate identified by the Hiring Subcommittee. Once a decision has been made to hire, the Superintendent informs the School Committee of the appointment. The Principal formally extends the offer. If the candidate does not accept the offer, the process continues with the next choice of the Hiring Subcommittee or resumes with the initial posting process.

The following points summarize the Merriam School Hiring Subcommittee's charter:

• Decision-making on the subcommittee is through mutual agreement.
• A pool of parent participants are selected from the Merriam community using a method specified by the Merriam School Council.
• For each specific hiring effort, parent members are selected from the pool to serve on the subcommittee. The selection process is repeated for each hiring effort.
• The Principal or designee will determine the total number of members needed for any given hiring effort. Members will include teachers and parents. The Principal will invite one or more system-wide experts to participate if needed.
• Parent members will serve in the pool for a period of one year.

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