When to Hire Teachers

Teachers hired after the start of the school year are twice as likely to leave their schools—or the profession altogether—within a year, leading to higher staffing costs for districts that delay their hiring, according to a statewide study of teachers in Michigan.

Sarah Sparks: Study Finds Late-Hired Teachers likely to Leave

This article provides a timely reminder that there are economic costs to delaying your teacher hiring and to short-cutting your teacher preparation and development. The indirect costs of recruiting new teachers, (and how much time does that draw away from other priorities), orienting them (ibid), training them (ditto), and establishing those all-important relationships between teacher and student and parent can put untold stress on a schools budget.

But because these costs are indirect (how many families won’t return because their beloved teacher won’t be there, what is the ratio of teacher turnover to returning families, etc.), they tend to be more hidden. If you need teachers in the fall, please do all you can to secure them well before summer. They will be likely to leave for many reasons, some of which are hinted at above, and maybe most of all because it is almost impossible to feel part of the team when you join after the game has started.

Another reason might be this: if you have to hire teachers after the school year has begun occasionally, that’s necessity making its demands. If you have to do so frequently, you may need to reexamine your operations, systems, and habits.