Testimony Before the DC Council Committee of the Whole at the Hearing on Teacher and Principal Retention

By Anne Herr, Senior Director of School Development and Accountability

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson and members of the Committee. My name is Anne Herr, and I am the Senior Director of School Development and Accountability at the DC Charter School Alliance, the local non-profit that advocates on behalf of public charter schools to ensure that every student can choose high-quality public schools that prepare them for lifelong success. I’m also a long-time resident of Ward 1.

I’d like to start by thanking the Council for continuing to elevate the topic of teacher and principal retention. Student success depends on schools staffed by thriving professionals. Ensuring schools can retain and recruit high-quality educators is one of the DC Charter School Alliance’s core policy priorities. We provide resources for professional growth and well-being, recognizing that when educators flourish, students excel. We also know that through identifying systems and structures to improve teacher and principal retention, student achievement will also rise.  

In the spirit of starting with positive news, recently DC Bilingual Public Charter School  was named a winner in this year’s cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools, recognized for their exceptional teaching and learning. This prestigious recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups. DC Bilingual's 83% teacher retention rate is a significant factor in their students' overall academic success.

We are heartened by the recent increase in teacher and principal retention in the city. Teacher retention rose from 71% in the 2022-23 school year to 74% in the 2023-24 school year. Principal retention increased from 74% in 2022-23 to 78% in 2023-24.

We do, however, face continued challenges retaining educators and principals post-pandemic. It’s no surprise, given educators’ continued feelings of being pushed to their limits. A recent RAND survey of nearly 1,500 public K-12 teachers reveals three-quarters say they no longer have as much enthusiasm for the job as they once did. Nearly 60% say they’re burned out. Fifty nine percent say they experience frequent job-related stress. Encouragingly, this is a sharp decrease from 78% in 2021.

Much of the rest of the U.S. workforce is enjoying greater flexibility, with hybrid and remote work options post-COVID. This stands in stark contrast to the conditions faced by educators, who rarely enjoy the flexibility that many other professionals now take for granted. Students are also coming to school with big challenges including exposure to trauma, neighborhood safety issues, disrupted learning, higher rates of anxiety and depression, and missing critical social and emotional skills. These realities take an outsized toll on our educators.

We must redouble our efforts to make teaching as attractive and fulfilling as possible to boost retention. That means leaning into what our schools say works, like offering competitive pay, focusing on wellness, providing adequate flexibility in schedules, and allotting additional time to plan and collaborate with colleagues.

Retention Strategies that Work

Our LEA leaders are determined to deploy strategies that work to retain teachers. The following are approaches that have proven successful in retaining teachers at our schools.  

Retaining and recruiting high-quality educators is the number one factor in academic recovery and student achievement. Competitive compensation packages are absolutely necessary to achieve that goal. The Council and Administration’s approval of a 12.4% increase in the FY25 UPSFF budget was tremendously helpful to enable teacher compensation to remain competitive, with recurring funding to support teacher pay increases. We are proud to confirm that every charter school developed, implemented, and publicly posted teacher pay scales by the September deadline required by the legislation. We’re also pleased to confirm the median salary for charter educators in their first year is $64,268, comparable to DCPS educators. 

We want to congratulate the DCPS teachers on their new tentative WTU agreement. As the Council considers funding for the agreement, equitable funding must also be provided for charter teachers, by putting funding related to those increases through the UPSFF in FY26 and beyond. Continued, adequate increases through the UPSFF will increase educator retention, keep pace with cost of living increases, and attract others to the profession.

Next, attention to teacher wellness and strengthening positive workplace cultures is critical to increasing teacher retention. The DC Charter School Alliance is proud to partner with OSSE, thanks to a SOAR grant, to provide several exciting initiatives geared toward whole school approaches to educator and staff wellness. Our project, “Staff and Educator Wellness and Positive Culture,” is grounded in research and directly addresses urgent LEA member feedback identified in our 2024 Needs Assessment.

We will provide a series of workshops and resources for LEA leaders focused on best practices for assessing and improving school culture; amplifying teacher and staff voice; managing change; effective internal communication strategies; and compensation and economic stability. We will also be creating a new collaboration space for principals and academic leaders that will enable them to interact and problem-solve with counterparts across LEAs. Principal retention is an important component of improving teacher retention, as principal turnover is often directly linked to future teacher turnover. Investment in principals and academic leaders can make those jobs more sustainable and improve the work lives of teachers. 

The cost of housing is one of the top barriers all schools face in recruiting and retaining teachers in D.C. This is a huge problem that has not been addressed. It is prohibitively difficult for teachers to purchase homes in the D.C. communities where they work. Long commutes to work contribute to teachers and staff feeling burned out. The suburbs become more appealing, where they can find more affordable housing, shorter commutes, and a better quality of life. We urge the Council to do more to provide relief to educators facing high costs of housing. For example, consider implementing initiatives that would reinvigorate downtown to include workforce housing for educators. 

Lastly, flexibility for schools to address staff needs and show them appreciation is crucial. Charter school leaders have been using their autonomy to institute innovative benefits and structures that meet their school’s model and needs. They have the ability to quickly respond to staff requests and implement innovative solutions like double planning periods, half days, and/or allowing virtual work on Fridays. For example, one leader closed their school for two days to provide mental health resources to staff following an incident of violence in the community. Other schools are partnering with organizations, like Medstar Georgetown Center for Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE), to provide teachers and principals with wellbeing initiatives, school-based mental health treatment services, and professional development trainings to uplift social, emotional and mental wellbeing.

Monument Academy partnered with WISE through a grant geared toward staff wellness. With a retention rate of 89% going into school year 2023-24, Monument’s ability to maintain expert educators and staff is directly tied to the care and attention they have paid to them through a deep focus on staff wellness and flexible schedules.

Moving Forward

We're heartened to see incremental improvement in teacher retention rates, while we know this remains an urgent priority. We want to ensure we all stay focused on strategic planning for the future to ensure a healthy pipeline of teachers and strong retention in our schools. That is the driving force behind the programs and strategies we are focused on in the charter school community. Charter school leaders understand attracting and keeping good teachers in the District is paramount to whether students learn and achieve. We are grateful to the Council for ensuring ongoing attention to this urgent issue. Thank you for your time, and I welcome any questions you may have.