Staff Turnover affects Samo

Amidst a time of vacant administrative spots and district-wide uncertainty in SMMUSD, the start of the 2016-2017 school year has shed light on the topic of teacher and staff turnover, a newly relevant and controversial topic nationwide.The district hired 78 new staff members for the start of the 2016-2017 school year, which is about 10 percent of the entire district’s employees. This large of a number can be detrimental for a smaller district like SMMUSD, as this kind of change requires time for recruitment, hiring and training in order to get new staff members up to speed for the new school year.According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, a non-profit organization called the National Commission on Teaching and Administration used their estimation calculator to estimate the cost of a teacher turnover with the magnitude of SMMUSD's, and estimated that the cost amounts to somewhere around $1.73 million. According to Board Member Maria Leon-Vazquez, districtwide slimming-down of the budget can result in the termination of SMMUSD teachers.“We hire what we can afford to pay,” Vazquez said.Vazquez also emphasized the importance of pre-school preparation provided for the teachers.“There is a lot of money supported by the district to do professional development.”This money helps administration to train the new teachers and bring them up to speed.As for the attrition of teachers alone, Vazquez and Board member Craig Foster say there is not much the district can do. Some teachers leave to work in a district closer to their homes. Some leave for familial or other personal reasons. There are also natural results of having teachers that have been in the district for a long time; they will retire, and Foster predicted there will be more of these occurrences in the next few years.“I have an expectation that turnover is going to be higher over the next five years because of this demographic bubble,” Foster said. “There’s a large number of teachers who have been teaching for 20 plus years who are ready to retire, or [are] at least approaching it.”Since last year alone, the district has suffered not only the loss of teachers, but also both the district superintendent Sandra Lyon and Samo principal Eva Mayoral stepping down as well, leaving SMMUSD scrambling for some forms of stability before August 22.“It can be unsettling because we had no principals or superintendents,” Foster said. “However, the timing of [Mayoral] and [Lyon] was coincidence.”The district hired two interim-superintendents: Dr. Sylvia Rousseau and Dr. Christopher King. They also hired a new principal for Samo, Dr. Antonio Shelton, who could not be present for the first few weeks of school. Due to his absence, they had to hire an interim principal: Diana Garcia. Community & Public Relations Officer Gail Pinsker is optimistic despite the instability and lack of permanent leadership.“We have been fortunate enough to have former SMMUSD principals come back to fill in while we hire replacements for the [Samo] and [Malibu High] principal positions,” Pinsker said. “Ms. Diana Garcia, interim principal at [Samo] and Ms. Pat Cairns, interim principal at [Malibu High] are very familiar with our district, our staff, community and our goals around Excellence through Equity.”To Vazquez, this is not a lack of leadership, but rather a time of “soul-searching” and revamping the system so that SMMUSD can “take on 21st century education.” However there is something else that Foster believes is a bigger problem in the district. He is far more concerned about Malibu High School, where they are having their 5th principal in four years.“That level of turnover is unnatural,” Foster said.According to Richard Ingersoll, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies teacher turnover and retention, the main reason that teachers leave is because of school conditions. For many, one of the main factors is the idea of having a voice and a say, and being able to be influential in important decisions that affect a teacher’s job. Ingersoll also stresses the importance of supporting beginning teachers, because research he had generated showed that around 40 or 50 percent of beginning teachers are gone within five years of their arrival. Ingersoll explains that there are certain actions that help new teachers as they are acclimating to their environments.“The term ‘induction’ is often used for beginning teachers in the first couple of years,” Ingersoll said. “To help them learn the ropes and get better and survive. The percentage of teachers that get some kind of induction has doubled over the last couple of decades. So that's one example of trying to pay attention to retention instead of just ignoring it.”This teacher and faculty attrition in SMMUSD brings into question the importance of staff retention. In situations like these, questions about the quality of school culture arise. Is the school supportive of teachers' professional growth? Is there ample and structured time for meaningful teacher collaboration? For what reasons do these teachers leave, other than retirement?“There has been some tension between teachers and administrators over differing understandings of ‘collaboration,’” Foster said. “But I wouldn’t think that would have an impact on teacher turnover.”No matter the situation, teacher retention has proved very important in school districts everywhere. Creating environments in which teachers feel the most comfortable and heard is key in encouraging teachers to stay. Not to mention, mass teacher and staff turnover is very costly to any district. Foster is on the same page as Ingersoll about the importance of teacher influence and involvement. He believes that teachers should be supported just as much as Ingersoll did.“We have to support our teachers and respect their craft,” Foster said. “We have to involve them intensely in the decision making of the district.”