District reports improved retention indicators, outlines supports for teachers and classified staff

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System reported data Tuesday that district staff said point to improving employee retention and outlined several programs intended to support recruitment, onboarding and teacher development.

Stacy Son, the district’s employee relations specialist, told the board that so far this year the district has recorded 171 teacher resignations compared with 319 last year, and 233 classified support staff resignations compared with 404 last year. She said retirements submitted so far were 46 certified and 37 classified. Son cautioned that additional resignations typically continue to arrive later in the school year and described the figures as a trend rather than a final count.

Son said the district uses an anonymous twice-yearly employee survey from the vendor Upbeat to track workplace satisfaction and retention drivers. Survey completion improved: teacher completion moved from 81% to 89%, and classified staff completion rose substantially since 2022. On composite satisfaction measures, teacher scores climbed nine points since fall 2022, while classified staff scores hovered near 69 and showed gains compared with prior cycles.

Son highlighted strengths in categories such as equal opportunities, care and commitment, inclusive practices, instructional leadership and self-efficacy. Areas for improvement included student behavior management and professional learning that more directly impacts day-to-day work. She said questions about physical building safety scored high (87–88) while behavior-management items scored lower (65–72), which reduced the overall school-safety category score to 76.

To address retention and support, Son described several district initiatives: HR outreach meetings (she reported meeting with 525 employees so far), an "Alive and Well" physical-wellness program, an employee assistance program offering counseling and legal/financial advice, an on-site clinic with two full-time counselors available for employees, teacher and classified recognition programs, morale grants from the education foundation (61,670 dollars awarded to 38 schools), and new staffing devoted to supporting early-career teachers. The district is repurposing five positions to support new teachers, offering classroom-management workshops for permit and job-embedded teachers, monthly "gathering grow" sessions, and Praxis-exam supports.

Board members questioned details about permits, licenses and behavior supports. Son and other district leaders clarified that the state issues one-year permits and employees may reapply up to three times; the district had requested 231 permits for 2024–25, with 44 permit-holders moving to licenses so far. The district emphasized that permit-holders have up to three years to obtain licensure and that some permit holders remain in process. On behavior supports, the director said the district is in year two of an initiative that adds applied behavior analysts (BCBAs) who will provide classroom support and training.

Board members asked about comparative survey benchmarks and the district said Upbeat’s reporting draws from a national sample of schools; staff offered to request additional details from the vendor. District staff said they will continue market analysis for compensation and other retention strategies.

"We are hopeful to see an increase in both completion rates and overall scores for our classified staff," Son said, and described the data as a foundation for targeted action plans at school and district levels.