Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Staff Retention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
HR presents exit-survey baseline showing early-career turnover; district plans follow-up stay surveys
Summary
HR rolled out year-one exit-survey findings: 60 respondents (38.4% response), 156 separations over 12 months concentrated in the first five years, and top drivers include personal/family reasons and lack of support; officials proposed stay surveys and listening sessions as next steps.
Monica Wilkes, director of human resources for Decatur Public School District 61, presented baseline exit-survey data on Feb. 24 that the district plans to use to inform staff-retention work and the Roadmap 2030 goal to promote a positive workplace.
Wilkes said the survey was launched in January and yielded 60 respondents (a 38.4% response rate). From last January to this January the district recorded 156 separations; Wilkes said turnover is concentrated in early-career instructional roles, with many exits occurring within the first five years. The survey found that the top drivers of exits are personal or family reasons, lack of support and working conditions, and career-advancement concerns. Among subgroups, teaching assistants cited hours and compensation as a principal factor, while certified teachers noted dissatisfaction with district-level leadership and the need for stronger peer support.
Wilkes proposed follow-up actions including a staff retention survey for employees who remain, in-person "stay interviews" for recently hired staff, listening sessions to surface working-condition concerns and embedding the exit-survey results into the district's Roadmap 2030 work. She characterized the data as a baseline that the district will analyze further to design a district retention plan.
Board members praised the work and underscored the importance of focusing on building-level leadership, peer support and administrative responses that make staff feel heard. One board member emphasized the distinction between leaving a district and leaving a building, saying leadership at the building level is a key retention factor.
What happens next: HR will continue collecting survey data, run targeted stay interviews, conduct listening sessions and present a district retention plan informed by the Roadmap 2030 goals.
Limitations: The presentation covered highlights and not every survey question; Wilkes said additional disaggregated data will be shared later for deeper analysis.
