Survey offers insight into loss
of 92 local educators

By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — The biggest reasons why teachers resigned their jobs this past spring in McKinley County has nothing to do with their jobs, exit surveys of teachers who resigned this year showed.

Sixteen of the 92 people who resigned between April and June of this year wrote in their exit surveys that it was for personal family reasons.

Other reasons why teachers have resigned include: 11 retirements; 11 to accept an education job in another state; 11 decisions to get out of education; six to pursue advancment training; five for environment, which includes location of the school or community; and five for unsatisfactory working conditions.

The findings were brought before members of the Gallup-McKinley County School Board at its meeting Monday after board members said they wanted to know why 92 teachers resigned this past year.

Phyllis Casuse, the district’s director of personnel, said that number amounts to less than 10 percent of the teachers in the district and is a little higher than the number for 2007, which saw 86 teachers resign, and 2006, when 83 resigned.
On the other hand, the 11 retirements is less than either 2006, with 18, and 2007 with 22, and Casuse said she attributes this to the current national economy.

Twenty-nine of the teachers who resigned were within the first five years of teaching, and Casuse said this goes along with the national averages.

When asked what they liked most about working here, 36 said the multicultural aspect of the student body, 32 said the students, and 29 said the working relationships with their colleagues.

Other things they liked included: 27 said the geography of the surrounding area; 16 said the administrative support; 14 said the staff housing; 13 said community relationships; six said the salary increments; five said recreational opportunities, and four noted parent involvement.

The lack of administrative support topped the list of what they didn’t like, with 23 marking that down, while 20 chose the lack of parental involvement as among the worst aspects of working here.

The salary increments dissatisfied 14 of them, while recreational opportunities and community relationships were listed by seven.

When asked to give the school system a grade with one being the lowest and five the highest, most (15) gave the district a three or four, while 11 gave it a five, two gave it a one and one gave it a two.

When asked if they would recommend the district to others seeking teaching jobs, 37 said they would and 10 said they would not.