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Chester County reports teacher turnover and retention measures as staffing nears full capacity

Chester County Board of School Trustees · August 25, 2025

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Summary

Human resources reported 47 teachers left last year and the district hired 44 new teachers; HR said the district is 99.2% staffed and outlined exit-survey reasons and retention strategies including pay review and bonuses.

Chester County human resources officials told the school board that teacher turnover last year totaled 47 departures and the district has hired 44 new teachers for 2025–26, leaving the system about 99.2% fully staffed at the start of the school year.

Human Resources Director Wendell Sumpter briefed trustees on exit-survey findings from both the Chester County School District and the statewide SC teacher exit survey. He said the state survey showed 46.2% of departing teachers were lateral movers (leaving for other districts), about 23% did not report their next step, 23% left the profession and 7.7% retired. On Chester’s internal survey, personal reasons such as relocation and work–life balance were the largest single category; career reasons (advancement and salary) and situational factors were also cited.

Sumpter said the district currently has three teacher vacancies (art at Great Falls Elementary, health science at the Career Center, and a course at Chester High School) and a total current staff of roughly 380 teachers and staff. He recommended a multi-pronged retention approach: review pay competitiveness across steps, expand career ladders, reduce workload where possible, and increase recognition and support programs such as targeted loyalty bonuses. The HR presentation credited a district $2,500 teacher loyalty bonus as one retention tool already in use.

Trustees asked for a pay-schedule comparison to neighboring counties as they begin budget planning; trustees and HR agreed to provide a step-by-step comparison to identify where the district loses competitiveness beyond the first-year salary.

Sumpter said the district will continue to follow up with leavers to explore re-entry pathways and will use exit data as an annual benchmark for retention work.