Burke County’s teacher turnover tops state average, but context tells a different story

If you simply look at the numbers, Burke County Schools had a tough year with teacher turnover in 2024. But those numbers don’t tell the entire story.

In April, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) released data detailing teacher attrition for each of the state’s 115 school districts. Attrition data shows how many teachers left their employment in North Carolina public schools.

NCDPI releases the State of the Teaching Profession Report each year. It analyzes data on teacher vacancies, attrition rates, and other aspects of the teaching profession in the state. The report typically covers data from the previous school year.

The state attrition rate for 2023-24 was 9.88%, down from 11.5% in 2022-23. But Burke County’s rate was 10.1%, higher not only than the state’s average, but also more than the district’s 2022-23’s 9.4 rate.

Burke County’s rate is also higher than those of surrounding counties. Teacher attrition in Catawba County during the 2023-24 school year was 6.1%. McDowell’s rate was 7.2 %, and the attrition rate in Cleveland County was 8.7%.

When asked why he thinks Burke County reported an elevated attrition rate for last school year, Director of Human Resources Keith Recker explained there is more to the data than meets the eye.

“I believe there are two main factors,” Recker said.

One reason Burke’s data was elevated, he explained, was the number of teachers who retired after the 2023-24 school year.

“In 2022-23, we had 68 (retirements),” Recker said. “(In) 2023-24, we had 102. (In) 2024-25, we have 52. 2023-24 happened to be a large group of employees who were eligible for retirement.”

Burke’s elevated attrition rate also reflected the district’s decision to bring good, experienced teachers back to classrooms even after they retired.

“We made the decision early on that summer (2023) to rehire retired, licensed, and certified teachers where we had vacancies,” Recker said. “This was a huge benefit for our students and principals, to be in a position to put an effective teacher who had recently retired back in the classroom.”

Recker explained even though those teachers returned to the classroom, they were still counted as educators who left the profession.

“On one hand, these retirees earned their retirement through years of service with the state,” Recker explained. “On the other hand, these retirees have strong ties and relationships at our schools, and they simply care about children and their education.”

He noted that recent retirees had to sit out for six months before being rehired.

“The tough factor is that the state still counted these as ‘vacancies,’ which increased our attrition rate,” Recker said, “when in reality, we had a fully certified, licensed, and effective teacher in that vacancy.”

Burke County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan said making sure a highly qualified teacher is in front of every student in the district is a priority for the central office.

“Retaining great teachers is one of the most important investments we can make, not only for our students, but also our district and our community,” Swan said. “We have made a commitment over the past few years to be “ALL IN” for students, and we have many wonderful educators who live that day in and day out.

“In this day and age, employees try out different careers and often reinvent themselves professionally,” he continued. “Teaching remains a calling of the heart, driven by purpose and not a paycheck. I encourage our community to advocate for teachers and the profession, and as we prepare to celebrate Education Appreciation Week next week. Thank a teacher for his or her impact on the future.”

Burke County Schools Public Relations Officer Cheryl Shuffler said the district has made a conscious decision to try to keep experienced educators in local positions.

“We have a strong ‘grow your own’ philosophy to promote teachers into admin positions, which impacts our attrition data, unlike LEAs that hire new administrators from outside their district,” Shuffler explained. “Our attrition may take a hit, but in the end, we feel it strengthens our culture.”

“The positions filled by retired teachers we rehire are still considered vacant, but in reality, we know we have a skilled educator in that position, most of whom have more than 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher,” Swan reiterated.

NCDPI’s “State of the Teaching Profession Report” is available to the public at dpi.nc.gov. Attrition is defined as a reduction in the number of employees that occurs when employees leave an employing unit.

The state’s attrition rate represents almost 1,500 fewer teachers lost from a total of 89,972 teachers employed in full-time, permanent positions. However, the 2023-24 attrition rate is higher than the average rate of 8.64% over the last seven years and is higher than any rate over those years other than 2022-23, according to NCDPI.

Teacher attrition is not uniform across years of experience. Early- and late-career teachers show higher rates of attrition relative to mid-career teachers, the department reports.

The attrition data shows how many teachers left their employment in North Carolina public schools but does not include teachers who leave the classroom but stay employed in non-teaching roles such as school administration.

“While the report shows improvement in the percentage of teachers staying compared to prior years, there are still far too many teachers leaving the profession,” said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green. “We need to do a much better job of keeping them in the classroom once they are hired. That starts with revering these professionals for the amazing job they do and providing them with great salaries and opportunities for growth within our public schools.”