Superintendent: Winchester maintains low class sizes amid a tight teacher labor market; intent-to-leave dips to 16%

At the Oct. 13, 2025, meeting, Superintendent Dr. Doug Joyner briefed the Winchester City Public Schools board on the district's annual Standards of Quality staffing report and other staffing metrics.

Joyner told the board the report meets state reporting requirements and shows Winchester's class sizes remain below the Code of Virginia guidance in most grades. He said elementary class-size averages (excluding resource teachers) are about 16.6 students per teacher and about 13.9 to 1 when resource teachers are included. Middle- and high-school subject ratios were reported at averages near 14–15 to 1 divisionwide for middle grades and approximately 17.6 to 1 for high school (18.3 to 1 when measured by class), all below the Code of Virginia guidance cited in the presentation.

Joyner framed staffing results within a national and state labor-market context. He cited national figures that about 411,500 teaching positions were reported as unfilled or filled by uncertified personnel in 2025, compared with roughly 200,000 in 2020. The superintendent pointed to research identifying drivers of attrition — student behavior challenges, compensation, noninstructional workloads and perceived lack of administrative support — and repeated that retention improves when districts provide supportive leadership, manageable class sizes, structured mentoring and predictable compensation.

Locally, Joyner presented employment and turnover figures for the district. He reported reductions in some turnover measures compared with previous years but noted continuing pressure in support roles historically hardest to fill (teacher assistants, cafeteria staff, custodians). For support staff the presentation listed 89 total separations including retirements and terminations; excluding retirees the support-staff turnover rate was presented at about 23.8% for the period discussed, and about 28% when retirements are included. The superintendent said the district has raised some hourly wages and that, to date this year, custodial resignations have declined.

Joyner described shifts in new-hire experience and credentials: the average years of experience for new hires moved from 12 last year to about 8 this year, and a majority of new hires hold advanced degrees. He also reviewed demographic-recruiting gains over recent years: over approximately an eight‑year span Winchester reported an increase of about 180% in Hispanic/Latino staff and roughly 33% in Black staff, noting this year’s smaller hiring cohort reduced that year's gains but did not reverse the longer-term trend.

The superintendent linked workforce goals to the district's Elevate 2030 strategic plan and Empowered 2025 diversity efforts and said the board's past choices on predictable compensation have supported retention. He urged continued focus on the strategies that produce retention gains and said the human-resources data will inform work under Elevate 2030.

Board members asked for clarifications on metrics and policy-review timing during the same agenda section; no personnel actions were taken in open session. Joyner said staff would continue monitoring recruiting and retention and bring policy or budget items forward as needed.

Ending — Joyner characterized the district's recent hiring season as successful compared with regional benchmarks but warned the labor market remains challenging and the district will need to continue targeted retention and recruitment efforts.