Staff turnover is Hartford teachers’ biggest concern

Teachers pour their energy into the classroom, nurturing our children while fighting for change. Yet many educators return every year to classrooms where progress remains slow, and the promise of support every child needs feels out of reach.

Last year, Hartford concluded its three-year strategic plan, the District Model for Excellence,” which made strides in promoting student success and aligning long-term goals for Hartford Public Schools. Despite this progress, Hartford public schools have a growing number of teacher vacancies, and teachers are still calling for policy changes to improve school environments further and support teacher sustainability.

As Hartford Public Schools embarks on a new strategic planning process, we have an opportunity to prioritize the things that will most significantly impact our students. With teachers closest to the challenges in classrooms, it’s crucial that decision-makers not only engage with educators in this process but also implement their feedback to advance lasting change.

We must ask for teachers’ input and report back to the district on these findings to meaningfully shape solutions together. At the beginning of the school year, I joined seven fellow educators and Educators for Excellence — Connecticut to plan for uplifting educators’ voices in shaping and implementing the new strategic plan. We identified the importance of transparency and trust-building, emphasizing not only the collection of feedback from teachers but also the need to follow up and elaborate on their responses. With this in mind, we developed a survey for Hartford educators, covering questions about district priorities and desired policy shifts for the district, and scheduled focus groups to dig deeper into responses.

Nearly 300 teachers responded, overwhelmingly identifying teacher recruitment and retention as the most critical planning priorities. Teachers are clear: Students’ basic needs should be the top priority for effective systemic change. Recruiting and retaining high-quality colleagues is foundational to delivering that change for Hartford students.

Given Hartford’s challenging financial outlook, teachers also recognize the need to do more with less. Preliminary data from the survey also indicates that teachers overwhelmingly favor financial incentives to recruit and retain quality educators in hard-to-staff schools -–a pathway for Hartford to allocate resources where they matter most strategically. They also hope to see better alignment between professional development and school curriculum to support educators.

As of October 2024, Hartford Public Schools has 178 teacher vacancies, with 20% of teachers and 33% of new teachers choosing to leave the district each year. This high turnover places an increasing burden on remaining educators, forcing them to take on additional responsibilities and cover for absent colleagues, ultimately reducing their capacity to serve their students effectively. The reality came to light in a recent Board meeting when a colleague reported that in her school high school, students are being dismissed early because there aren’t enough teachers available to meet their needs. We can and must do better for our students.

I see the impact of high turnover firsthand in my school. The inconsistency and lack of predictability make it difficult for students to build trusting relationships with teachers. This is especially disheartening for older students, who often feel the absence of familiar faces among the faculty. They miss the pride and motivation of reconnecting with former teachers and showcasing their progress.

Staffing shortages are also profoundly felt in special education, impacting many of our students who need support the most. Special education vacancies account for 30% of all vacancies in the district, while at the same time, 22% of total students have disabilities. Coupled with a severe shortage of paraprofessionals, many students miss out on the individualized attention or special education supports they need.

Teachers tell us compensation and benefits are the number one reason they are leaving. Financial incentives are vital in recruiting and retaining educators to address these critical shortages. Paying educators more for working in hard-to-staff schools or subject areas not only values their work but also shows recognition and appreciation for working in some of the most challenging conditions.

Effective professional development, including built-in collaboration time for teachers, strengthens faculty trust and relationships. Research shows teachers need 90 minutes of weekly collaboration to improve retention and student achievement. Building in time for this collaboration is essential, especially given teachers’ packed schedules.

Hartford Public School teachers need more. Addressing teacher turnover, staffing shortages, financial incentives, and professional development are critical to our success. With the upcoming implementation of a new district-wide strategic plan, we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate our needs and drive meaningful change.

I strongly urge district leadership to listen to and incorporate teachers’ feedback to allow for sustainable change and student success. Teachers are speaking, and we must hear them. 

Caroline Dowd is a teacher in the Hartford Public Schools.