District Boasts Low Teacher Turnover for 2nd Straight Year

For the second consecutive year, the Joplin School District has retained more than 92% of its teachers. Since only 8% of Joplin teachers left or retired at the end of the school year, the district met its goal of keeping teacher turnover below 10%.

“The last two years have been our lowest turnover for at least the last ten years,” states Dr. Steve Doerr, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Operations. “We believe that it speaks very highly of the quality of Joplin Schools and the education we are able to offer the students of our community.”

District officials credit the low turnover rate to two major factors: success of the district and increased salaries. Joplin has seen impressive increases in academic performance over the past several years and has received the state’s prestigious “Distinction in Performance” award three years running.

“Our teachers are taking great pride in what they are doing and want to continue to be part of the success they are creating,” says Doerr. “People want to be part of a successful program or organization.”

Increases in Joplin’s teacher salaries have also played a key role in lowering turnover. In a committed effort to better compete with salaries offered by other area school districts, Joplin has raised salary levels for its beginning teachers significantly in recent years. This year’s increases, however, focused on the salary levels of Joplin’s experienced teachers.

“It is certainly nice to be shown appreciation for our dedication to the district,” says North Middle School math teacher Marsha Jensen, a member of this year’s Salary Committee. “Now that we are more in line with surrounding schools, I'm sure it will make it less appealing to change districts after years of experience.”

District officials say that increasing salary levels to help attract and retain quality educators is an important step in Joplin’s quest for continued student achievement. “The knowledge, resources, and experience that our veteran teachers bring to the classroom are invaluable,” says Doerr, “and we certainly hope to see our high teacher retention rates translate into continued increases in Joplin student performance.”

posted 09/04/07