FAYETTEVILLE-- The Northside Rotary Club on Tuesday officially welcomed a record 92 new teachers to the Fayetteville School District.
Superintendent Paul Hewitt, who started his job July 1, said he likes to think of it as "the new School District" because of the fresh hires and numerous internal transfers.
"Ninety new teachers is significant," Hewitt said. The district has about 1,000 teachers and an average annual turnover rate is 40 to 50. The number is higher than usual because teachers who joined the profession in the 1960s and 1970s are retiring.
"The culture among teachers is changing," he said.
Rachel Maine, who was a kindergarten teacher in Decatur, will be teaching English as a second language at Happy Hollow Elementary School and Holt Middle School.
She is making the switch to take advantage of more opportunities, especially for professional development, she said.
"I wanted a challenge and to do something different," Maine said.
Juli Johnson will be an instructional facilitator at Washington Elementary School after moving from Grandview, Mo. She is leaving her classroom to work with teachers about strategies and resources in the classroom. She wanted a position where she would still be close to children, she said.
Owl Creek School has the most new teachers with 15, followed by 12 at Woodland Junior High School, 11 at Leverett Elementary School and 10 at the high school.
Greg Mones, human resources director, said 54 teachers took an early retirement offer last year. To fill those vacancies, 26 teachers transferred within the district and 28 newcomers were hired.
The remaining vacancies were teachers who left the district through retirement or resignation outside of the buyout, he said.
Another 65 teachers in the district moved to similar positions in other schools before changes expected in the 2015-16 school year when the transformation of Fayetteville High School will be completed. Freshmen will be moved to the high school. Elementary schools will house kindergarten through fourth grade. Middle schools will serve grades five and six. Junior highs will have grades seven and eight.
Dustin Manning, a new third-grade teacher at Happy Hollow, acknowledged elementary students are used to female teachers. "I hope to be a positive male role model for my students," he said.
The Rotary Club has hosted the new teachers annually for more than a decade. Lunch on Tuesday was at Mermaids Restaurant.
NW News on 08/13/2014