Q&A
School safety agent exams and hiring process updates
0:48:15
ยท
3 min
Council Member De La Rosa inquires about recent school safety agent exams and the hiring process. DCAS officials provide the following information:
- A school safety agent exam with a $0 application fee was held in late 2023
- The hiring list for this exam was made public by July 2024
- DCAS doesn't have direct insight into agency hiring practices or numbers
- A subsequent exam in 2024 reinstated a $54 application fee
Additional details:
- The fee-free exam saw a 50% drop-off in attendance, which was deemed unsuccessful
- Results for exams held in August and October 2024 are expected to be out by the end of February
- DCAS is willing to reach out to the Department of Education for hiring information if requested
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:48:15
Thank you.
0:48:15
I wanna recognize that our colleague, Eric Batcher, is here.
0:48:18
Thank you.
0:48:20
I'd like to ask some questions regarding some positions that are currently experiencing high bay vacancy rates.
0:48:25
We talked a little bit about school safety agents.
0:48:28
In September 2023, DCAS published a notice of examination for school safety agents exam with a $0 application fee with multiple choice testing set to begin October 17th.
0:48:41
By July 2024, the hiring list for those examinations was made public on the city government website.
0:48:47
Can you provide an update on whether the Department of Education has hired any of the individuals from the eligible list?
0:48:52
And if so, how many?
0:48:53
And what factors have delayed the hiring process?
Katrina Porter
0:48:57
So, unfortunately, we do not have insight into agencies, you know, hiring practices or how many folks are being hired off of these civil service lists.
0:49:04
Mhmm.
0:49:04
We would have to reach out to them for that information.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:49:07
Okay.
0:49:07
Is that something that if you request, they would share?
0:49:10
Sure.
0:49:10
Okay.
0:49:10
If you could help us get some of that information Yes.
0:49:12
That would be great.
Katrina Porter
0:49:14
You said school safety agent?
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:49:15
Yeah.
0:49:16
School safety agents.
0:49:18
Let's see.
0:49:21
And then a similar exam for school safety agents opened for application in May 2024 with multiple choice test set testing to begin on August 15, 2024 and again in October 2025.
0:49:35
Unlike the oh, 2024.
0:49:38
Unlike the 2023 exam, which had no application fee, these exams required a $54 application fee.
0:49:44
Can you explain what that why the application fee was reinstated for the subsequent test?
Katrina Porter
0:49:49
So that's a great example of, you know, DCAS being flexible and working with the agencies to, you know, try to increase their candidate pool.
Daniel Pollock
0:49:57
Mhmm.
Katrina Porter
0:49:57
And so we did eliminate the application fee for the exam you mentioned.
0:50:01
Yeah.
0:50:01
And so while we received more applications, we saw about a 50% drop off at the, you know, for candidates coming in to sit for the exam.
Kadian Outar
0:50:10
The test.
Katrina Porter
0:50:11
And that is a a resource constraint for our computerized testing centers Mhmm.
0:50:14
Because we have to allocate a certain number of seats to be available, while we could have been administering other exams.
0:50:21
So we did not find that to be a successful strategy Mhmm.
0:50:24
To increase the number of test takers or, passers for school safety agent.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:50:30
I think I asked earlier, but I don't know if I heard the the response.
0:50:33
Where the fees that are generated, where does that money go?
0:50:37
Like, does it go into reinvestment for other exams, space, like,
Katrina Porter
0:50:40
like They they go into the city's general fund.
0:50:42
Okay.
0:50:42
They do not come to DCAS directly.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:50:44
Okay.
0:50:46
Were you able to find we were unable to find the hiring list for the examinees who took the exam in August 2024 or October 2024.
0:50:55
Have those exam, exams been published yet?
0:50:58
If not, when do you expect the examinees can receive the results?
Katrina Porter
0:51:01
And this is school safety agent?
0:51:03
Yes.
0:51:03
Do
Spanish Interpreter
0:51:04
you have do you have it?
Robert Alexander
0:51:11
Those 2 that tested in August October, they're probably out by the end of February.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:51:14
End of February.