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Jamestown HR reports 48 staff departures; district proposes 'stay' interviews to boost retention
Summary
Human resources presented summary exit-interview findings showing 48 departures this year, with relocation and new employment as leading causes; the district plans "stay" interviews and follow-up to address communication and workload concerns.
Jamestown Public Schools human resources staff told the school board on June 16 that 48 employees left the district during the 2024'25 cycle and outlined steps to improve retention, including launching "stay" interviews earlier in the year.
Stacy Jamkar, human resources, said the district recorded 48 departures since July 1, including 20 teachers and two administrators who retired. Jamkar said three of the teacher departures were retirements; the largest single reason reported was relocation, and 28% left for new employment.
The exit interviews, conducted online with follow-up conversations when possible, identified strengths employees cited: strong building-level leadership, supportive teams and a community-focused environment. Areas flagged for improvement included districtwide communications, workload and professional-development timing. "The most common suggestions for areas that we can improve on are communication from district leadership... reducing workload and improving work life balance," Jamkar said.
Jamkar told the board she plans to introduce "stay" interviews: short, periodic face-to-face conversations with a sample of teachers and support staff to surface concerns before employees decide to leave. "Instead of catching them after they leave, we can catch them as they're happening," she said. Board members expressed support for the idea and asked for more detailed breakdowns by employee category.
Board Member James (first name only in the record) asked whether HR could split reasons for departure by staff group; Jamkar said teachers reported relocation more often while support staff were more likely to switch jobs within the district or not respond to exit-survey outreach. Jamkar also said she obtained fewer exit interviews from support staff than from teachers.
The board did not vote on any policy changes at the meeting. Jamkar recommended continued monitoring and timely follow-up on survey feedback, and asked the board to consider more visible recognition and spotlights for staff to increase appreciation and morale.
