Anchorage School District working group cites workload, onboarding and pay as top retention priorities

The Anchorage School District’s recruitment and retention working group recommended that the district prioritize reducing workload and burnout, restore in-person onboarding for hourly staff and consider compensation and benefits changes to improve retention, presenters told the school board at a June 3 work session.

The working group, formed last year at the board’s direction, met six times October through April and included about 40 participants drawn from bargaining units, exempt staff and Human Resources, district facilitators said. "This is actually a very exciting topic," Doctor Bryant, who helped facilitate the group, said as the presentation opened. "We need every single educator who's willing to work for ASD in ASD."

Board members heard that participants identified competing priorities the district can influence — including competitive wages, Social Security coverage options, paid summer training, onboarding improvements, childcare support and alternative certification pathways — and outside factors it cannot directly control. The group’s discussions concentrated on retention after member feedback showed workload and burnout and feeling respected and valued appeared across bargaining units.

Why it matters: Presenters said retention has become a…