Superintendent reports on staff attrition, workforce programs and community-based supports

Regional School District 8 Superintendent Colin McNamara presented three state-required reports detailing staff attrition, workforce‑development programming and community-based supports for students. The superintendent said the attrition memo from Human Resources lists staff who left during the 2024–25 school year, broken out by instructional, paraeducator and support roles. “I don't see it as being a large number,” McNamara said when a trustee asked whether turnover was atypical; he noted the district employed about 140 teachers and roughly 41 paraeducators that year. On workforce development, McNamara described two programs: a work‑experience program for students with disabilities, which places roughly 8–10 students per year with local businesses, and a Manufacturing for Industry course that is part of the youth manufacturing pipeline and is expected to enroll about 13 students next semester. On community supports, McNamara detailed the district’s partnership with AHM Youth & Family Services and credited the organization with rapid crisis response after the recent student fatality; he said AHM provides counselors in both the middle and high schools and additional programming. Why it matters: the reports fulfill a new state requirement to inform the board about attrition, workforce development and community providers; the information informs staffing, student supports and budget planning. Discussion and next steps: trustees asked for additional detail on total staffing counts and for follow‑up data after the district’s October 1 enrollment snapshot. McNamara said staff can provide full headcount breakdowns and that the board would receive updates as the district compiles more precise numbers. Ending: The memos were accepted as presented; no formal vote was required.