OPINION: Warren County schools are facing a crisis that impacts everyone in our community

Warren County schools are facing a crisis that impacts everyone in our community, whether you have children in the school system or not. The schools are not able to competitively compensate our experienced teachers, who are lured to higher paying opportunities by neighboring counties.

Since school year 2011-2012, WCPS instructional turnover has increased 140%, which correlates with a 162% increase in areas NOT at accreditation levels, over that same 7-year period. Teachers in Warren County who have less than 10 years’ experience have a 54% student pass rate compared to teachers with greater than 11 years of experience, who have an 85% overall student pass rate.

We are now entering the 7th straight year of increased teacher turnover. During their exit interviews, the number one reason cited by our experienced teachers for leaving Warren County Schools is compensation.

The consequences of this issue not only impact our schools, it has a systemic impact on our community. School performance measures have affected the ability to attract and retain entrepreneurs and employers to our community. Businesses strongly consider the pipeline of educated labor when making the decisions to locate or expand their businesses. When employers choose to locate or expand in Warren County, that lessons the tax burden for all citizens. School performance is a strong factor in that decision. Our property values are also negatively impacted by the perception of our school performance, as consumers compare homes in our county to those of surrounding areas with higher performing systems. Again, another lost opportunity to broaden the base for tax relief for our community.

The November 30, 2018, “Strategic Vision for the Future of Warren County” contains clear and compelling evidence to support our Board of Supervisors in funding this request. 85% of citizens responded that the biggest challenge facing our school system was “relatively low pay for teachers is incentivizing higher quality teachers to move to schools in surrounding counties”. The vision statement commits to “Support an excellent school environment that retains quality teachers and graduates the next generation of leaders”.

I call upon our Board of Supervisors to see that this vision is executed on behalf of the citizens of Warren County.

Jeanian Clark
Workforce Development Professional