Chester County schools report 44 new hires, highlight exit-survey drivers and retention steps

Human Resources Director Wendell Sumpter told the Chester County Board of School Trustees on Aug. 25 that the district hired 44 new teachers for the 2025–26 year and is 99.2% fully staffed.

“I'm also excited to announce that we are 99.2% fully staffed, and I am super excited about that,” Sumpter said, summarizing results from new-staff orientation and district hiring efforts.

Sumpter said 47 teachers left the district in the last year. He reported exit-survey responses collected through two instruments: the state South Carolina teacher exit survey (with 13 district respondents) and a district-conducted exit survey (25 respondents). Using those results, he said personal reasons — including relocation, work–life balance and health — were the largest single category for departures in Chester County, followed by career reasons such as advancement and salary concerns.

Sumpter listed common responses captured on the state and district surveys: limited planning time, high administrative tasks, student misbehavior and dissatisfaction with salary or advancement opportunities. He said the state survey also flagged smaller class sizes, more planning time and salary increases as top incentives that would encourage some former teachers to return.

The HR director outlined district follow-up steps: review pay competitiveness, expand career-ladder opportunities, pursue targeted bonuses and reentry pathways, strengthen building-level administrative support and discipline consistency, and expand employee wellness and assistance programs. He said the district will continue annual monitoring of exit data and shared results with school principals to inform building-level responses.

Board members and staff discussed pay-scale competitiveness. One trustee noted Chester’s first-year teacher salary is among the highest in its peer group but that pay progression after year one lags other districts; administrators agreed to prepare comparative salary-step data for the next budget cycle.

Sumpter also described planned engagement and recognition efforts, including a “100-day” celebration for first-year teachers and continued targeted retention bonuses. He recommended exploring childcare or housing incentives the state survey identified as possible recruitment levers.

The presentation closed with Sumpter’s summary: “Every exit is a message. Our response must be engagement, recognition, and lasting change.”

The board did not take a formal vote on HR strategy during the meeting.