Research has shown that while many factors affect student achievement, teachers matter significantly more than any other school-related aspect. To continue our efforts to recruit qualified teachers to our school system, we recently held our annual meet-and-greet event for prospective teachers. Administrator-teacher teams from 15 schools participated in this event, which allowed 60 interested new and experienced teachers to get acquainted with our schools in an informal setting.
At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, we assembled a Teacher Retention Task Force composed of a teacher representative selected by the teachers from each school. In its fourth year, the Task Force has already met five times this school year, with additional meetings planned. Topics of discussion have included changes to the school calendar, increasing personnel to address truancy and mental health needs, and assisting with discipline in each community. We have added help with truancy in two new positions to the district, and we have added an additional mental health employee. We continue to explore ways to enhance communication throughout the district.
The Task Force developed a teacher survey, which is administered annually in January. The surveys were sent out to each school’s faculty by the Task Force member at that school. All survey responses are anonymous. Task Force members analyzed the data from the surveys and presented a summary of the data to school administrators in grade band groups as well as Central Office administrators. After surveys were analyzed, discussed, and presented to school and Central Office administrators, they presented their findings and recommendations to our Board members.
The data from the 2025 surveys revealed specific areas of concern. The overarching themes were the amount of paperwork for elementary teachers due to the Literacy and Numeracy Act and the increase in student behaviors across all three grade bands. The need for more and better communication between administrators and teachers, including establishing better relationships between central office administrators and teachers, as well as school administrators and teachers, is an ongoing area of focus.
It is in the best interests of our students to keep our teachers in the classroom and remove or reduce barriers to their ability to focus on providing high-quality instruction. Our Teacher Retention Task Force actively examines the reasons teachers are leaving, or contemplating leaving, the profession and what we can do to encourage them to continue teaching in Elmore County.
Our teachers are at the heart of our purpose: Every Student Empowered ~ Every Student Succeeds!
Richard Dennis is the Superintendent of Education for Elmore County Schools. He is a 1983 graduate of Holtville High School. He served 21 years as a high school principal at Holtville High, Wetumpka High and most recently, Prattville High. He and wife, Leslie (also an educator) have three sons and a daughter.
