Oldham County highlights summer professional development as hiring and resignations shift

District leaders told the Oldham County Board of Education on Aug. 25 that a series of summer professional‑development events drew broad participation and coincided with measurable shifts in hiring and retention.

Dr. Dylan Smith, director of teaching and learning, said the district has about 950 teachers and ran three major summer events: content days by grade/subject, a teacher onboarding program for new hires, and an ‘‘Ignite’’ conference held Aug. 1 that drew 957 attendees and about 161 teacher leaders and administrators. “Our teachers told us that this summer PD was really worth their time,” Smith said, noting high satisfaction ratings and that the Ignite conference used digital registration and track selection for the first time.

Katie Garrett, the district’s personnel director, presented hiring and resignation data for the April–August window and across recent years. Garrett said certified hires in that seasonal window rose from about 80 to 120 year‑over‑year, a roughly 50 percent increase from the immediately prior season. She reported total annual certified resignations of 184 in 2023 and 171 in 2024; through August 2025 resignations stood at 85. When comparing January–August spans, certified resignations were 167 (2023), 117 (2024) and 85 (2025 so far). For classified staff the January–August counts fell from 139 (2023) to 102 (2024) and 84 (2025 so far).

Garrett also said open job listings had fallen sharply: as of Aug. 18 there were 85 open jobs districtwide, compared with about 150 on the same date a year earlier; of those 85 openings, 11 were for certified positions. She reported 223 active substitutes in the system and called out persistent difficulty filling certain specialized classified positions (22 open positions) and a need for about 10 more bus drivers.

The board and administrators linked the improved hiring picture to salary increases and retention efforts the board approved in prior years. “The efforts that you guys have made around raising our teacher salaries ... changed the makeup of that group,” Smith said, describing a shift toward more experienced teachers joining the district.

Administrators said onboarding was differentiated for experienced hires and first‑year teachers, and that mentoring and campus‑level supports were emphasized so new staff would feel connected. The district plans to repeat and expand these professional‑development offerings next summer and to consider inviting teachers from neighboring counties for registration fees.

No formal board action was taken on the PD or hiring reports at the Aug. 25 meeting; staff said they will continue monitoring vacancy areas and report back as hiring progresses.