Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Staff Vacancy submission is a required data submission that provides the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) with information about current and projected changes in teaching positions. This includes data on vacant, newly created, and eliminated positions. The submission helps the state plan for staffing needs, address shortages, and allocate resources more effectively.

Districts are required to report the following for the current school year:

• Number of vacant teaching positions
• Number of new teaching positions
• Number of eliminated teaching positions

Each entry must include specific position details, including a Job Code and Job Code Subcategory, when applicable.

Each district determines its own process for collecting vacancy data. Typically, the designated NJSLEDS user, data administrator, or HR team compiles the information in collaboration with school leaders, superintendents, and other relevant offices. The final file is submitted through the NJSLEDS platform by the designated NJSLEDS user, who was provided by your district's Web User Administrator (WUA) to the NJDOE.

All required data fields are outlined in the Staff Vacancy Handbook, including:

New Jersey is facing ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers. Accurate and timely vacancy data allows the NJDOE to:

• Identify high-need subject areas
• Monitor statewide and district-level staffing trends
• Develop strategies to address workforce shortages
• Ensure students have access to certified, high-quality teachers

New Jersey, like many states, is facing challenges in ensuring that there are enough qualified teachers to staff public schools and meet the needs of all students. One important step in addressing this issue is to gather and analyze data on the current teacher workforce. This data helps identify where there may be gaps and what steps can be taken to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

To upload your Staff Vacancy file into NJSLEDS:

1. Log in to the NJSLEDS portal.
2. Navigate to the Submission Upload tab.
3. In the Submission Type dropdown menu, select Staff Vacancy.
4. Either upload your file from your device or drag and drop it directly into the upload area.
5. Click Next to proceed.

Make sure your file is formatted correctly according to the Staff Vacancy submission template and saved as a .CSV UTF-8 file to avoid validation errors. More details can be found in the Staff Vacancy training PDF.

Leave the PositionClosedDate blank if the position is still open. This field is only required when the position is filled or officially closed without being filled.

When closed/filled, update the PositionClosedDate with the date the vacancy was closed (in YYYYMMDD format). This date cannot be earlier than the PositionOpenDate.

Important: A PositionClosedDate requires a corresponding PositionOpenDate. Do not submit a PositionClosedDate for PositionType 1 ("No Vacancies").

Yes. The NumberOfApplicants field should reflect the total number of applicants who applied for the position, including those who submitted their application after the official posting close date.

This total helps provide a complete picture of interest in the position, regardless of when the application was submitted in the hiring timeline.

Full details on the required data elements and validation rules can be found in the Staff Vacancy Handbook.

We also recommend reviewing the Staff Vacancy webinar training located on the Trainings and Webinars tab of this website. These resources provide guidance on formatting, field definitions, acceptable values, and common errors.

The JobCodeSubcategory is a required field that provides additional details about the position type associated with the JobCode. It is mandatory for all new teaching positions, eliminated positions, and vacant positions (Position Types 3, 4, and 5).

Acceptable values for the JobCodeSubcategory are:

• 1 = General Education
• 2 = Bilingual
• 3 = Hearing
• 4 = Visual
• 5 = Special Education

For full details, please refer to the Job Codes and Job Codes Subcategories file, located on the Key Documents tab of this website and through the Staff Vacancy Handbook.

A DistrictPositionID is a unique identifer assigned by the district to track a specific staff position over time. It is used to distinguish one position from another, regardless of who holds the role, and supports accurate tracking across submissions.

This field is required for new and vacant positions (Position Types 3 and 5) and must follow your district's internal naming or numbering conventions. It should remain consistent for a given position to allow for year-over-year analysis.

If you didn't track the NumberOfApplicants when the job was posted, you might still be able to find it. Here's what you can do:

• Check with your HR team. They may have records or access to reports.
• Look in your online application system. Most systems track how many people applied to each posting.
• If the job was posted in more than one place or time, add the total number of applicants from all sources.

The PositionOpenDate is the date the job opening was posted to potential applicants. This date should reflect when the vacancy was officially announced or made public, whether through an internal posting, external advertisement, or other recruitment platforms.

The PositionOpenDate is the date the job opening was officially posted to potential applicants, either internally or externally. It represents the first day the position was made available for recruitment.

Similarly, the PositionClosedDate should reflect the date the position was filled or the posting was officially closed.

Please ensure that all dates are entered in YYYYMMDD format without any separators (ex., 20240901 for September 1, 2024).

Yes. If a position has received zero (0) applicants, you should enter 0 into the NumberOfApplicants field. Reporting zero applicants is important for accurately capturing staffing challenges and will not result in an error, as "0" is an accepted value in the system.

For staff vacancies resulting from long-term leave, there are several options for assigning a DistrictPositionID, which is a locally defined identifier used to track staff positions within your district.

While you may reuse the same DistrictPositionID associated with the staff member on leave, it is generally recommended that you assign a temporary or new DistrictPositionID to represent the vacancy. This helps ensure clarity in tracking and avoids confusion when reviewing historical or current data.

Because this field is locally managed, we encourage you to consult with the department responsible for staffing or HR records to determine the most appropriate identifier based on your district's internal tracking practices.

If a position becomes open due to resignation or retirement but is not posted and is immediately covered by existing staff (ex., through overages), no Staff Vacancy reporting is required.

The position should still be captured in your Staff Management submission, which reflects personnel changes such as resignations. However, for the Staff Vacancy collection, a vacancy only needs to be reported if the position remains unfilled and the district is actively seeking to fill it. If the role is being absorbed without a formal recruitment process or new hire, it does not meet the criteria for inclusion in the Staff Vacancy submission.

If a staff member is on a leave of absence and the position is not posted or filled through a new hire, such as when coverage is provided by existing teachers, there is no need to report this in the Staff Vacancy submission.

Since the position is considered temporarily filled and not vacant or open for recruitment, it does not meet the reporting criteria for this collection. The permanent staff member's expected return and the absence of a formal posting means no vacancy exists from a reporting perspective.

The Staff Vacancy submission is not intended to capture information on every certified staff member hired. Instead, it should include records for:

• Vacant teaching positions
• New teaching positions created
• Eliminated teaching positions

Each qualifying position, not individual staff member, should be entered as a separate row in your file. If a staff member was hired to fill a vacancy or newly created position, that position should be reported.

Be sure to use the appropriate PositionType code (ex., 3 = New Position, 5 = Vacant Position) to indicate how the position was classified prior to being filled.

The Staff Vacancy soft launch submission is focused on 2024-2025 school year data. Districts should practice reporting:

• Vacant teaching positions, new teaching positions, or eliminated teaching positions that have occurred from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
• Any anticipated vacancies expected to occur within the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year, such as mid-year retirements or resignations that will not be immediately filled.

The goal of the soft launch is to test the submission process using data from the current school year. Please do not include data related to the 2025-2026 school year. This will be submitted once NJSLEDS launches on September 2, 2025.

You will be reporting information only for your current teaching vacancies and teacher staff changes, not for your entire staff (Job Codes 1000-2799).

The Staff Vacancy submission collects data on:

• Current vacant teaching positions
• Newly created teaching positions
• Eliminated teaching positions
• Anticipated teacher vacancies (such as through retirements) within the current school year

This data helps the NJDOE identify staffing gaps, plan recruitment strategies, and make informed decisions about resource allocation and policy. The collection is required by New Jersey law to ensure accurate, up-to-date workforce reporting.

No. The current Staff Vacancy submission is focused only on teaching positions. Other staff positions, such as school nurses, counselors, or adminstrative roles, are not included in this collection.

Templates A and B share the same layout and structure, and either template can be used for uploading your Staff Vacancy submission. Template A includes built-in data validation rules that check for formatting errors, missing values, and invalid codes before submission. This helps reduce NJSLEDS rejections and ensures cleaner data.

Template B does not include validation rules and is typically used when a source system generates a pre-formatted accurate export file.

Choose the version that best fits your workflow, but be sure to save and upload your final file as a .CSV UTF-8 file.

Yes. The Staff Vacancy Handbook can be found on the NJSLEDS website under the Staff Vacancy User Resources section.

• NJSLEDS Help Desk: Call 609-376-3970 or email helpdesk-sleds-staging@doe.nj.gov for help.
• Staff Vacancy Handbook: Detailed guide on data and submissions, available on the Staff Vacancy User Resources page.
• Trainings and Webinars: Find webinar registration links and PDF training materials.
• Visit the Staff Vacancy User Resources page for the latest information.