Nashville schools lose half of newest teachers within three years on the job

Over 50 percent of the teachers leaving Metro Nashville Public Schools are within their first three years of teaching in the district, according to district officials.

It's a concerning statistic for Nashville schools leaders, who presented retention and recruitment numbers to the school board on Tuesday.

Due to the high turnover, district leaders said they hope to expand retention initiatives in the coming year by making mandatory a new teacher introductory program, as well as ensuring all new teachers have a seasoned mentor to guide them.

The district has struggled for years to pinpoint exactly why teachers are leaving, and in the last couple of years has tried to put into place more measures to retain teachers and understand what's causing the turnover.

"Every school district has reported similar problems to us," human resources director Deborah Story said to the school board. "And every district is looking for same pool of talent and we need to get really creative in how to attract them to us."

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District exit surveys of teachers leaving only provide a partial snapshot because so few fill out the answer sheets, said Sharon Pertiller, director of talent strategy.

"The responses need to be looked at with a grain of salt," Pertiller said. "But what they say speaks volumes."

Board member Amy Frogge said pay may be one of the big reasons why teachers are leaving.

"With a high cost of living (in Nashville), it's obviously not what teachers are making," Frogge said.

The high turnover causes a scramble every year to fill vacancies.

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Last year, the district faced more than 100 vacancies by the end of July and with about a week until school started. That was higher than in previous years, given the district has averaged about 40 teacher vacancies at the beginning of the school year.

Story said the district needs to begin recruitment and hiring efforts earlier. The district has also struggled to retain and recruit teachers in high-need areas, such as exceptional education and math, she said.

The higher number of unfilled teacher positions last year was also partially due to a change in director. Metro Schools Director Shawn Joseph began his job on July 1, 2016.

When he was hired, Joseph was faced with replacing 31 principals, who often drive the hiring of teachers within the district. This year, Joseph needed to fill 11 principal positions, with some of those announcements made before June 30 this year.

Hillwood High School update

Also during the meeting, the district approved the purchase of land for the new Hillwood High School at the HopePark Church site at 8001 U.S. 70 S. in Bellevue.

The board approved in its consent agenda $10.2 million for the purchase of 247.47 acres at the site.

The board voted unanimously in January to move Hillwood High School from its 400 Davidson Road location and the money was allocated by Metro government for the purchase.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.

Principal hires in the 2017-18 school year

• Amqui Elementary School: Latoya Cobb
• Madison Middle School: Brian Mells
• A.Z Kelly Elementary School: Heather Bethurum 
• Smith Springs Elementary School: Dr. Lance High
• Eakin Elementary School: Dr. Matthew Nelson 
• West End Middle Prep: Dr. Russell Young
• H. G. Hill Middle School: Carrie Jones
• Wright Middle Prep: Dr. Sharada Deaton
• Hattie Cotton Elementary School: Jocelyn Adams
• Cockrill Elementary School: Keri Hanes