Edgewood Independent School District administrators reported to trustees on July 22 that the district met internal Lone Star governance measures for goal-oriented professional learning and teacher retention for the 2024–25 year.

Deputy staff presenter Mr. Chavez (presenter name in transcript) told the board that the district recorded roughly 7,075 professional-learning attendees across sessions tied to the district’s three Lone Star governance goals — early literacy, early mathematics literacy and college/career/military readiness — and said that produced an 89% compliance metric for goal-focused learning tracked in Eduphoria, the district’s professional-learning platform. "We will continue monitoring teacher learning practices as well as gathering feedback on all of our professional development," he said.

On teacher turnover, district presenters reported a decline from a baseline rate toward the district’s five-year target: the board packet and presenter noted a five-year goal of reducing turnover to 18.7 by 2028, and the district reported reaching 18.7 for the 2024–25 school year. The presenters credited multiple strategies, including the teacher incentive allotment (TIA), a year-long paid teacher residency program with UTSA and Texas A&M partners, grow-your-own partnerships, alternative-certification recruitment and stipends, and expanded local training via Region 20. The superintendent also highlighted the role of principals, HR and instructional coaches in retention efforts.

Why it matters: Teacher retention and measurable, goal-focused professional development are central to district strategy to improve student outcomes. Lower turnover can reduce hiring costs and help continuity in instruction; the district framed the decline as exceeding state averages for 2024.

Board discussion and clarification requests included:
- A trustee asked for clarification about Eduphoria and how sessions are tracked; the presenter described how sessions are entered, attendance taken, and participant surveys collected.
- A trustee asked whether the turnover metric counts only classroom teachers; the presenter confirmed the dataset covers classroom teachers only.
- Trustees and staff credited the district’s TIA and recruitment pipeline; presenters said teachers who participate in TIA-certified tracks show higher retention rates.

Next steps: Administration said it will continue to monitor professional learning participation, expand recruitment partnerships, and share details of the teacher incentive allotment and recruitment progress with principals and trustees in upcoming briefings.

Distinguishing discussion and decision: The presentation was informational; no formal board policy change or budget action on TIA or recruitment was taken at this meeting. The board did approve the annual budget at a prior meeting (referenced by the superintendent), and staff said additional compensation recommendations will be brought to trustees in August.

Speakers quoted or recorded in this article are identified in the meeting transcript.