Throughout the pandemic, the number of teacher resignations and retirements has continued to increase in the Blue Valley School District, with 239 teachers opting to leave the district this year. File photo.
A total of 239 teachers either resigned or retired from the Blue Valley School District at the end of the 2021-22 school year, according to district officials, continuing a recent upward trend that has coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the numbers? Of the teachers leaving Blue Valley this most recent year, a majority of resignations and retirements are coming from the elementary school level. Here’s a breakdown of teacher resignations/retirements by level in the 21-22 year:
Elementary school: 121
Middle school: 46
High school: 69
K-12: 3
How does that compare? The 239 total resignations and retirements in 21-22 represent an uptick from the previous year, which was the first full school year since COVID-19 began and itself saw a major increase in teachers leaving compared to the year prior:
2020-21 school year: 225
2019-20 school year: 162
2018-19 school year: 193
The bigger picture: Like many districts across the country, Blue Valley has seen its number of educators either resigning or retiring continue to creep upward in recent years, a trend seemingly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other outside pressures.
Earlier this year, the National Education Association, the country’s largest teacher’s union, conducted a survey that shows 55% of its members are thinking about leaving the profession earlier than they planned.
Among some reasons cited were pandemic-related stress, staff shortages and low pay.
Eighty-six percent of NEA members surveyed also said they have seen more educators leaving the profession or retiring early since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Teachers speak out: In December at a school board meeting, longtime Blue Valley High School teacher Dianne O’Bryan spoke about why she believed many teachers were leaving the profession.
During her three-minute speech to the board, O’Bryan cited a lack of parent support for teachers as one reason behind the mass exodus.
“Teachers fear the chances of getting that email where angry parents target them without knowing the full story,” O’Bryan said.
She also mentioned seeing an increase in behavioral problems among students, saying “kids don’t just walk into our rooms every day ready to learn, especially not now. Many teachers leave their classrooms at the end of the day completely drained.”
District’s response: Despite the rise in resignations, officials with the district said they are expected to have the positions filled by the start of the 2022-23 school year.
“I do know they are working hard to fill any vacancies and are confident that every classroom will have an exemplary educator by August,” district spokesperson Kaci Brutto said.
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