CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Last school year, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System saw the lowest retention rates for certified and classified employees in years. Now, it looks like those numbers are on the path to improving.
On Tuesday, the School Board was given a presentation about employee recruitment and retention data from this school year against years past.
“Teacher recruitment and retention has been a challenge across the nation, an issue exacerbated by the pandemic,” said CMCSS spokesman Anthony Johnson. “CMCSS is encouraged to have seen a 3% increase from 21-22 to 22-23 and will continue to focus on a retention-first recruitment strategy to improve retention rates to exceed pre-pandemic numbers.”
Certified positions see promising increase
Certified teaching positions are tailored to educators, specialists, counselors and pathologists. Since the 2016-17 school year, retention rates have dropped 5.8%.
Last school year, retention hit an all-time low of 82.4%. So far, this year, those numbers have improved.
Johnson said the greatest factor in the higher number of teachers hired last year was the opening of Kirkwood High School. Additionally, student enrollment has grown by nearly 2,000 students, to date, since the 2021-22 school year (two years) and over 4,000 students since the 2018-19 school year (five years).
CMCSS welcomed 479 new hires back in June, and as of December, the school system has seen 75 separations. The top reasons for separations were moving, retirement and teaching in another Tennessee district. Spouse relocating, changing careers and family issues seemed be other big reasons as well, but dissatisfaction with CMCSS appeared to be one of the lowest reasons.
The school system requested 194 temporary permits from the state to help fill teaching positions this year, with the intention that those given the temporary permit will transition into a fully embedded job with CMCSS by the spring of their third year working. Twelve transitioned to job embedded this school year.
CMCSS is using these permits to help fill in the gaps, while also nurturing their residency program, and hosting and attending job fairs. Johnson explained that the biggest roadblock in moving permit holders to job-embedded licenses are the Praxis exams and financial restrictions. They still face many recruitment challenges, such as a decrease in Educator Prep Program graduates nationally, lack of qualified candidates, and even “backyard shortages.”
Classified position retention still struggles
Classified positions with the school system consist mostly of support staff, such as administrative assistants, bookkeepers, custodians and food service assistants. During the 2021-22 school year, classified retention rates dropped to 79%, and only rose half a percent last year.
CMCSS brought in 781 hires and rehires last year, and by the end of the school year 509 separated.
The majority of last year’s separations appeared to be in response to moving, pay, retirement and family. Only 40 of the 509 who separated claimed dissatisfaction with CMCSS.
In July, CMCSS welcomed 500 new hires, and as of December 184 separations. The top reasons this year were family issues, better pay and moving.
Johnson said last school year, they contracted with a third-party consulting firm to conduct a pay study to analyze all classified positions against like positions in the region. As a result, positions are competitive in pay now and for the near future, and CMCSS adjusted their pay scale to ensure that no full time, classified position starts below $15 per hour.
“Employees on a CMCSS salary schedule have received a 15.5% increase, on average, in salaries and associated benefits since 2022, a historic investment of over $35 million combined,” Johnson told Clarksville Now.
The school system has managed to have some internal success filling in these positions by hiring substitutes on full time, workforce development partnerships, and in-house job fairs as well as offering bus drivers a sign-on bonus and referral bonus.
CMCSS has found many challenges in recruiting and retention with hourly wage competition, grant funding ending, and adjusting to work culture shifts.
Hard to fill areas
CMCSS is facing the biggest challenges filling these positions:
- Special Education
- School Counselor
- End of Course content areas
- Algebra I and Algebra II
- Geometry
- Biology
CMCSS is experiencing the same hard-to-fill areas as the rest of the nation, specifically special education, secondary math and science, and school counseling. Johnson explained that many factors play into these shortages, such as school counseling requiring a master’s degree and general education teachers must complete additional coursework to become certified in special education. Johnson said the high school math Praxis is very challenging, which may be a deterrent as well.
“These hard-to-fill areas can’t be filled with a teacher on a temporary teaching permit,” Johnson said. “They must have full certification.”
For more on CMCSS hiring, visit the CMCSS website.