Dr. David Hopson
As we prepare to start the new academic year, it is interesting to note that the end of each summer finds the district searching for new staff despite our best efforts to have full staffing in place by early summer. This was brought to mind as we recently held our new staff orientation meeting. This is a chance to bring new staff in and give them a comprehensive overview of the district and kick off the mentoring process to give them every opportunity to fit in and succeed in the district. This program has proven to be beneficial and well received by new and existing staff.
Despite our efforts to have all staff in place prior to the orientation, there are always last minute changes that cause us to be looking for new staff just before the school year starts. This could be the result of a staff member finding a new position in another district, of staff members choosing to leave education completely, or due to health issues within a family. The reality is that staff turnover is a major problem throughout the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 17 percent of teachers leave their position each year. What’s more alarming is that fully 1/3 of teachers leave the profession within three years of starting teaching, growing to 46 percent after five years (National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future). According to research completed by the National Education Association, there are significant reasons for teachers leaving the profession ranging from the stress of teaching under the No Child Left Behind Act, to poor pay and lack of support within individual school districts, to a lack of respect and influence provided to teachers by administrators and in a broader sense, the general public.
To help alleviate those issues, we do things like the new teacher orientation, ongoing mentoring (and supports for both the new teacher and the mentor teacher), try and ensure that staff are part of the hiring process, include staff in committees as we review potential changes in school operations (including scheduling and evaluations), and even have a committee in place to support a positive school climate.
Given the reality that our staff is not at the top of the salary scale at local and state levels, the fact that our average turnover rate, including retirements, is normally under 10% (compared to the 17 percent national average), we are making some headway but certainly have not found the solution to the problem. In a report provided to the school committee last year, we found that of the total staff leaving from FY’2010 to FY’2014, 36.5 percent retired and 63.5 percent resigned for various reasons. Of these resignations, over 40 percent resigned to take a position with better salaries, benefits, or a promotion; 20 percent were due to a reduction in force; 17 percent were not renewed; and 23 percent left for other reasons. In reviewing why potential new hires did not accept a position with Gateway, the number one reason was due to a better salary/benefits package at another educational system. From this data we can see how budget reductions and problems with the state’s funding of education have had a negative impact on being able to retain staff in the district.
As we move forward, my hope is that we can improve our staff retention, increase our ability to attract new staff to the district, and support staff members who are leaving due to retirement. I don’t expect to reach a zero turnover status, even without counting retirements, if only because we have some very talented staff and I fully support their efforts to be promoted to different positions, including administrative positions.
