Money, morale key factors in teacher retention

LAKE RIDGE — New school facilities help, but when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best teachers, it’s all about the money.

The Prince William Committee of 100 on Thursday night held a panel discussion on teacher retention in Prince William County.

With jurisdictions to the north offering higher salaries to cover the higher cost of living, school officials in Prince William must work harder to make sure school administrators are creating places where teachers feel appreciated and actually want to come to work.

“You have to treat people fairly, said Lyle Beefelt, former Prince William County School Board member. “People don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.”

Beefelt said the “three-legged stool” of scholastic success requires caring school personnel, engaged parents, and up-to-date facilities in which students and teachers want to be in.

Dr. Kate Olson-Flynn has made upgrading school facilities built over 40 years ago in Prince William a priority. Provided schools that are equal to newer schools built in recent years make it easier to retain math, science, and special education teachers — areas that see the highest turnover because teachers can easily take their skills and find work outside the classroom.

“We need to build beautiful, brand new schools,” said Olson-Flynn. “But it’s not equitable or fair not to bring other schools up to date.”

After winning upgrades for Woodbridge Senior High School in Lake Ridge, like a new turf field and lighting, and newly remodeled gym, Olson-Flynn banded together with fellow residents to advocate for upgrades to other schools in the county.

In addition to a handful of middle schools that are over 40 years old, Brentsville District, Stonewall Jackson Senior, Gar-Field Senior, and Woodbridge Senior high schools are the county’s oldest and are in most needs of upgrading, she said.

But, if money by way of higher salaries is the main way to recruit and retain qualified teachers, Brentsville District School Board member Gill Trenum, who was also on the panel, said the education pay scale needs to be revised.

Unlike a military pay scale where larger raises are given early on and then level-off later in their service members’ careers, the educator payscale is linear with larger pay raises coming later in life.

Most starting teachers in Prince William make about $50,000 a year, said Trenum. The pay scale tops out at $116,000 annually.

“There are 32 steps in the pay scale,” said Trenum. “You have to stay here a long time to get there and many don’t because they have other things in life they want to go and do when they get older.”

Despite regular turnover that comes in an area with so many military families moving and out, Trenum says Prince William County does a great job at retaining teachers, meeting an annual goal of retaining 88% of teachers for more than 10 years.

After 12 years of service, Trenum is not seeking reelection to the School Board.

As part of its $1.2 billion budget passed earlier this year, Prince William teachers were afforded nearly five percent pay raise.

Teachers and administrators in neighboring Stafford County were also given similar raises.

The Prince William Committee of 100 held their event at Brittany’s Restaurant and Sports Bar in the Old Bridge Festival shopping center.