District 196 staffing report: about 4,419 employees support ~29,000 students; turnover 7% in 2024‑25

Joel Miltier, District 196’s director of human resources, presented the district’s staffing snapshot at the Sept. 29 meeting, covering headcount, turnover, recruitment and retention strategies.

"We are the third largest school district in the state, and we are educating approximately 29,000 students," Miltier said, and reported the district employs about 4,419 staff as of the second week of September. Over 2024‑25, the district recorded 332 employees who left — a turnover rate of about 7% — and reported an overall retention rate of 93%.

Miltier outlined the composition of staff: classroom teachers represent roughly 55.89% of employees and paraprofessionals about 12.3%. He said the district had posted 600 positions for the current school year (including vacancies and replacements) and had filled 95.2% of posted positions.

The presentation highlighted harder‑to‑fill roles such as special education teachers, paraprofessionals, nutrition services and bus drivers. Miltier described recruitment initiatives underway, including expanded in‑person and virtual job fairs, deeper 'grow your own' partnerships with seven colleges and a work‑to‑learn program with the University of St. Thomas to build pathways into special education.

He also summarized exit survey findings (26 of 332 departing staff completed the voluntary survey), with mixed reasons for leaving, including career advancement and compensation. Miltier said the district will refine exit and satisfaction surveys to gather more feedback and continue to monitor retention and recruitment outcomes.