Nashville schools lose half of newest teachers within three years on the job
Over 50 percent of the teachers leaving Metro Nashville Public Schools are within their first three years of teaching, according to district officials.
It's a concerning statistic for Nashville schools leaders, who presented retention and recruitment numbers to the school board on Tuesday.
Due to the high turnover, district leaders said they hope to expand retention initiatives in the coming year by making mandatory a new teacher introductory program, as well as ensuring all new teachers have a seasoned mentors to guide them.
The district has struggled for years to pinpoint exactly why teachers are leaving, and in the last couple of years has tried to put into place more measures to retain teachers and understand what's causing the turnover.
"Every school district has reported similar problems to us," human resources director Deborah Story said to the school board. "And every district is looking for same pool of talent and we need to get really creative in how to attract them to us."
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District exit surveys of teachers leaving only provide a partial snapshot because so few fill out the answer sheets, said Sharon Pertiller, director of talent strategy.
"The responses need to be looked at with a grain of salt," Pertiller said. "But what they say speaks volumes."
Board member Amy Frogge said pay may be one of the big reasons why teachers are leaving.
"With a high cost of living (in Nashville), it's obviously not what teachers are making," Frogge said.
The high turnover causes a scramble every Nashville schools lose half of newest teachers within three years on the job:
