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York County reports improved retention, more provisionally licensed new hires and targeted veteran recruiting
Summary
Staff told the board FY25 retention rose to 87% while licensed separations declined; the division reported a drop in average experience among new hires, a growing proportion of provisional licenses, and active outreach to veterans via SkillBridge and other hiring events.
Chief HR presenter Dr. Higgs reported on employee retention, separations, new hires and recruiting strategies during the Oct. 27 work session.
"Our retention rate for FY25 was 87%," Dr. Higgs said, noting an improvement from earlier years. He said licensed separations for FY25 were 97 (down from 125 in FY24 and 144 in FY23). For non-licensed employees, separations for FY25 were 167 (FY24 219, FY23 172).
Staff said the division uses exit surveys, focus groups and monthly pulse surveys to gather data from employees and that, on the basis of that feedback, staff developed an HR toolkit distributed to principals and hiring managers.
Board members asked about the experience level of new hires and provisional licensure. Dr. Higgs said the division has "seen a slow decline in the experience of our new hires" and that the system has increased hiring of provisional teachers because fewer candidates are entering traditional education programs. He described provisional licensure as a pathway for candidates with degrees outside education who can gain classroom authorization while completing required coursework and tests; staff said many provisional hires succeed after receiving focused classroom-management and mentoring support.
Dr. Higgs described active recruitment efforts, including attendance at a B3 executive forum in Richmond and a DOD SkillBridge expo in Virginia Beach; the division also plans job fairs at Yorktown High School (Nov. 5) and a Riverview Event Center fair (Nov. 13) supported by Virginia Veteran Services.
Board members requested additional percentage-based reporting on separations relative to total staff to provide clearer trend comparisons; staff said they would provide those percentages in follow-up materials.
