USD 253 Emporia’s teacher turnover rate saw a sharp uptick between 2020-21 and this past school year.
According to a presentation to the Board of Education Wednesday night, the district had a turnover rate of 20.5 percent this past year with 86 certified staff members leaving for various reasons. Staff leaving the profession entirely accounted for the largest percentage with 40 percent (35).
Director of Human Resources Jared Giffin says the spike in turnover is alarming at first glance, however, it is, in some ways, by design.
The district had a turnover rate of 13 percent (55 staff) in 2020-21. Staff moving to a different Kansas district accounted for 22 percent (19) of the turnover rate while retirements contributed just over 16 percent (14).
Giffin says the district is looking into several strategies to increase retention and recruitment for the coming school year. The district will be hosting a job fair at the Flinthills Mall next week to try and fill remaining vacancies.
Giffin will join KVOE’s Newsmaker segment at 7:15 am Tuesday to preview the job fair.
In other business Wednesday, board members reviewed a recent building needs assessment presented by Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Rob Scheib. Scheib says the assessment plays a major role in budget development by giving board members an accurate picture of the greatest needs in each building and how funds can best be allocated to address those needs.
Currently, the district is looking at an overall budget of just over $42.8 million and a maximum mill levy rate of 55 mills. The budget total is a roughly $2.1 million decrease and one mill increase from the previous year.
Scheib says the decrease was due to a drop in enrollment in recent years, however, that was a drop the district has been preparing for.
The Board of Education is planning to exceed the revenue-neutral rate in the coming year and will send notification off to the Lyon County Clerk’s Office ahead of the deadline next Wednesday. In addition to the needs assessment and mill levy rate, the board also approved utilizing the 2019-2020 free lunch figures for the coming year.
The board will be holding a budget workshop Aug. 10
Separately, the board approved a better than $146,000 bid from Modern Business Interiors for furniture fixtures and equipment for Logan Avenue Elementary School, the 2022-23 Home Rule Resolution, the sale of surplus football jerseys and staff handbooks for 2022-23.
At the start of the meeting, the board unanimously selected Leslie Seeley to serve as Board President for the 2022-23 year. Grant Riles was chosen to serve as Board Vice-President.
The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene Wednesday, Jul. 27 at 6:30 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
