Mike Wolanin | The Republic An exterior view of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation administration building in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is reporting a slight increase in teacher retention rates.
Of the 762 teachers who were employed by the school corporation on the first student day of the 2022-23 school year, 694 returned for the 2023-24 school year, said assistant superintendent of human resources Gina Pleak. This comes out to a retention rate of 91%, up 2 percentage points over the previous year’s rate.
Pleak
Of the 68 teachers who left over the last year, 10 retired, and 15 chose to teach elsewhere.
“We had some become stay-at-home parents, less than a percent,” Pleak told the school board on Monday. “About 2% changed careers completely from education. Some, it was a mutual decision, an agreement. Some for personal reasons, about under a percent for personal reasons. And we had a little over a percent move out of state.”
There was also one death, she added.
“Outside of the 10 retirees, what might be the years of experience of those that left?” asked board member Todd Grimes. “I guess I’m assuming it’s probably people within their first five years.”
Pleak confirmed that this usually true of people who leave for reasons other than retirement.
Last year’s retention rate was 89%, she said. The 2021-22 rate was 92%.
Superintendent Jim Roberts said that prior to the 2020 referendum — which included salary increases for teachers — annual retention rates ranged from about 87% to 90%.
According to BCSC’s referendum metrics, which are available on the school corporation’s website, the annual target is 92%.
Pleak said that the most recent research she’s found shows an 84% teacher retention rate across the United States.
“Usually 8% decide to leave the profession and 8% leave for another, similar position in another district,” she said. “And then the last time the DOE (Indiana Department of Education) had something listed, it was around, I believe, 77% for the 2021-22 school year, and that was the last data I’ve seen published.”
BCSC currently has zero teaching vacancies, Pleak said, though there are some positions that will need to be filled in the future. They are currently advertising two positions: a kindergarten teacher at Parkside Elementary and a special education teacher at Schmitt Elementary.
