Teacher survey presented to Cumberland County board warns of looming retention shortfall

Julia Jensen, who identified herself as a resident and said she distributed a brief survey on behalf of CCEA, told the Cumberland County Board of Education that district teachers flagged recruitment and retention as urgent concerns.

“Over 55 percent of our certified teachers will be eligible for retirement within the next 14 years,” Jensen said, and she reported that about 53 percent of survey respondents said they do not plan to stay in education for the full 30 years or are unsure. Jensen said teachers listed insurance and geographic proximity to family as the top reasons they remain in the district and that increased compensation and stronger administrative support were the most-cited incentives that would encourage them to stay.

The presentation, delivered during the public-comment portion of the meeting, included granular findings: 59 staff members experienced pay freezes this year, many teachers are not pursuing administrative-certification degrees that lead to higher pay, and roughly 45 percent of teachers have 15 or fewer years of experience. Jensen said many respondents praised the current administration’s hires and leadership but emphasized pay and support as the primary retention levers.

Board members did not take formal action on the public comment itself; the board later amended the strategic plan to add K–2 focus, ACT participation/score clarification and substitute-availability measures — items Jensen identified as relevant to teacher support and student outcomes. The director said the district will circulate additional staff “temperature check” information next month and provide updated implementation steps tied to the strategic plan.

The next steps noted at the meeting were internal: the board can incorporate survey findings into planning and budget discussions and the director said the system will share broader staff-survey data publicly next month.