Forsyth County Schools outlines staffing pipelines and rising retention rates in HR update

Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Derek Hershey told the Forsyth County Board of Education on Oct. 14 that the district is expanding recruitment pipelines and programs to replace retiring staff and improve retention.

"As of right now, we have 4,305 certified staff members, 2,222 classified staff members, for a total of 6,527 employees," Hershey said, citing the district's head-count and a separate pool of 1,675 substitutes (483 certified). He described five recruitment pipelines — substitute-to-full-time, paraprofessional-to-teacher, college recruiting, industry career changers and other sources — and credited campus recruiters and job fairs for recent hiring gains.

Hershey and HR colleagues outlined the district's employee-experience work, which focuses on recruiting, onboarding, career development and an exit experience. The board heard that the Foresight Teacher Academy (FTA) currently has 69 active candidates, with 42 expected to graduate from the program, and that an advanced-degree fair has helped produce certification upgrades.

Laura Adams and Dr. Jamie Brown joined Hershey in describing induction and mentoring supports for first- to third-year teachers. Officials said every new teacher in years 1–3 receives a school-based mentor and that the district has applied for induction-program certification.

The HR team also highlighted financial-wellness programs and a state reimbursement grant for paraprofessionals completing certification pathways. Officials said the district reimbursed 32 employees last year for certification expenses (more than $140,000) and expects to release more than $160,000 in the next round of grants.

Hershey said districtwide retention rates have improved in recent years, describing certified retention as rising from roughly 92% to above 95% and classified retention from about 89% to nearly 92.5%. He credited multiple departments, school leadership and targeted supports rather than any single program for the gains.

Board members praised the team's outreach and suggested continuing development of school-based leadership certification and succession planning. Hershey said staff will return with additional materials as programs evolve.

The HR briefing was part of a larger work session that also covered calendar planning, ESPLOST information, safety procurements and policy reviews.