Southern York County SD reports retirements and low day‑one vacancies; HR outlines retention steps

Lori, a human resources presenter for Southern York County School District, told the Personnel & Policy Committee on Feb. 18 that the district has seen about 48 retirements across the last three years and currently employs about 371 full‑time and 26 part‑time regular staff.

The HR presentation laid out why employees leave, how the district counts vacancies, and steps HR is taking to recruit and retain employees, including one‑on‑one onboarding, 90‑day check‑ins, benefit reviews and outreach to student teachers.

The district’s recent turnover reflects a mix of retirements and career changes, Lori said, noting that “this happens in districts where you go from a very mature staff, then you go to a new staff, then you go to a mature staff again. So, it is very cyclical.” She added that about 48 retirements occurred in the prior three‑year period and that the current workforce is “younger staff … further away from retirement.”

Lori said the district counts vacancies as positions open on the first student day. As of Feb. 18, HR reported one teacher vacancy; two support‑staff vacancies (both part‑time paraprofessionals); and two custodian vacancies (one part‑time, one full‑time). She also said the district has onboarded 36 staff so far for the 2024–25 year.

On reasons employees leave, Lori said exit interviews identify retirement as a leading cause and noted other common factors: moving closer to family, changing careers, and pay versus take‑home pay after pension contributions. “You come to work for a school district and you've got that great pension, but that means that 7 and a half to 10 and a half percent of your pay is coming out to go into that pension,” she said, adding that younger hires may prioritize immediate paycheck needs.

HR also described emergency teaching permits. Lori explained two main types: a Type 1 emergency permit for newly hired teachers (often in specialty areas such as science, special education or world languages) that comes with an education obligation and deadlines for coursework and testing; and a Type 4 long‑term substitute permit used to fill temporary leaves without an education obligation.

Committee members asked about incentives to reduce the late‑summer resignations among support staff. Board member Mary Lee Hall raised the idea of a cash incentive for staff who notify the district of non‑return by a set June date or who stay through the academic year. HR said the district already uses a limited repayment/forgiveness approach for summer clearances (for example, a payment for the cost of criminal clearances that must be repaid if the employee leaves before a set time) and that any new incentive would need rules about recouping payment if the employee does not remain.

On exit interviews, HR said response rates are low despite offering a Google survey, in‑person meetings, or follow‑ups with district administrators. Lori said she attends year‑one, year‑two and year‑three teacher induction meetings, conducts one‑on‑one onboarding and performs benefit reviews to keep employees connected to HR.

Board members asked about hiring student teachers and recent trends in emergency permits. Lori said the district frequently hires student teachers into long‑term substitute or permanent roles after student teaching and that several emergency permit holders completed certification and came off the list last year, reducing that category.

The presentation concluded without formal action; committee members had follow‑up questions but took no vote.

The committee adjourned after the policy discussion.