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Duplin County Schools reports stronger beginning‑teacher retention; district asks for additional mentors
Summary
The board heard that beginning‑teacher retention has improved to 94% and that the district supports 119 beginning teachers in 2025–26; staff asked for roughly 16 more paid mentors (at $100/month) to keep mentor caseloads manageable and described expanded licensure and testing supports.
Miss Ross told the Duplin County Schools board on Oct. 7 that district efforts to support beginning teachers are yielding higher retention and improved licensure conversion.
"At the end of the 23–24 school year, we increased our retention rate ... we retained 88% of our beginning teachers," Ross said. "We continue with that high level of individualized support during the 24–25 school year, and we are currently sitting at a 94% retention rate." Ross said the district supported 183 beginning teachers in 2022–23, 164 in 2023–24, and is supporting 119 beginning teachers in 2025–26, with about 40% of those initially licensed.
Ross described program components that she credited with improving retention: weekly or regular mentor meetings tied to a state schedule (BT1 weekly, BT2 twice monthly, BT3 monthly), individualized coaching and lesson modeling, and district‑level testing support for licensure exams and edTPA. She told the board the district currently has about 46 paid mentors and that mentors receive $100 per month; based on current caseloads she said the district needs roughly 16 additional mentors to keep assignments under four beginning teachers per mentor.
Board members asked about professional development, the district's mentoring model, and outreach to local high school teacher‑academy students to build a homegrown pipeline. Ross said the district coordinates PD with local partners (including James Sprunt) and is planning a May PD day to offer individualized options for beginning teachers.
The board did not change policy on Oct. 7 but thanked staff for the report and asked staff to follow up on mentor allocations and any budget implications for the additional stipend positions.
