Teachers leave Bexar County charter schools almost three times more often than at traditional public schools, which generally pay more and perform better academically, according to an Express-News analysis of five years of state data.
The average teacher turnover rate for charter school districts was 46 percent, compared with 13 percent for traditional school districts, according to Texas Education Agency data for 47 local districts from 2006 to 2011.
Teachers' pay varied widely, from an average of $14,497 at the charter school Guardian Angel Performance Academy to $53,907 at Alamo Heights Independent School District. Charter school teachers in general earned about $14,000 less a year than their traditional school peers.
Of the 10 districts rated academically unacceptable by the state in Bexar County last year, all were charters, with turnover ranging from 38 percent to 65 percent. High turnover has been a smoke signal of impending closure for some charter schools.
Most research shows high teacher turnover hurts students' achievement and the overall school environment because it creates instability and a loss of institutional knowledge.
State statistics don't tell why teachers leave, but many educators, administrators and experts said teachers tend to resign from a district ? whether charter or traditional ? in pursuit of one or more of the following: better pay, more professional development and stable district leadership. Some get fed up and quit education altogether.
To teachers, turnover simply can reflect the process of working their way up the teaching ladder.
After Kimberly Peterson received a bachelor's degree in psychology, she taught at the Treehouse Pediatric Center & Behavioral Services. But the small private school for autistic students abruptly closed in 2009 because of financial difficulties.
Peterson moved to a charter, the School of Science and Technology, and while she liked the tight-knit environment, it required working late nights and teaching about 100 students spread over three classes.
Without more certification and experience, Peterson couldn't teach at most public schools, so she earned a master's degree in education. She was quickly snapped up by Northside ISD ? a coveted district for many educators ? to teach special-needs students, her specialty, this school year.
Now 27, Peterson said the five-year journey helped her see what teaching requires, for better or worse.
?They were all positive experiences, and thankfully they've helped me get this new job, which I think is a good move for my career,? Peterson said. ?Northside is a destination district with great resources and pay, but I think we stay in because we love it and just find the right fit.?
Northside ? the city's largest with almost 100,000 students and 6,117 teachers ? had the lowest turnover rate in the county at 7.75 percent in the 2010-11 school year. Teachers on average were paid that year about $52,000; the district was rated by the state as ?recognized,? the second-best designation, for test scores and graduation rates; and the school board and superintendent have maintained a harmonious relationship.
That same school year, the local district with the highest teacher turnover rate ? 71 percent ? was San Antonio Technology Academy. The charter school paid teachers $28,580, about half of what Northside did, and was rated academically unacceptable.
Of the four charter districts that closed during the five-year period, three ? La Escuela De Las Americas, San Antonio Preparatory Academy and George I. Sanchez Charter High School ? had the highest turnover rates. The fourth, Guardian Angel Performance Academy, paid teachers the least.
At some charter schools, turnover rates mimicked a roller coaster. San Antonio Prep's ranged from 27 percent one year to 100 percent another year before the state shut it down for financial mismanagement and having a convicted felon as superintendent.
But charter school officials say the rates don't reflect their schools' success, and that some turnover might be good, a sign of weeding out lower-quality teachers or those who aren't happy at a school.
?Charter schools are schools of choice, not just for parents and students but also for teachers, who should be able to come and go as they see fit,? Texas Charter Schools Association President David Dunn said. ?And charter school administrators have a lot more ability than traditional public schools in deciding who to retain.?
Traditional schools, which generally hire certified teachers, can face more bureaucracy in firing them because they have more protections in their contracts and a grievance process. In contrast, charters can bypass those steps.
Some charters, such as KIPP Academy and Jubilee Academic Center, have bucked the larger trends by lowering turnover rates and maintaining good test scores.
?Bottom line, too much turnover consistently is a problem and challenge that we need to keep working at,? Dunn said.
Climate trumps pay?
Most researchers say that high turnover is harmful to students, who tend to do worse on standardized tests at schools where teachers and staff don't stay long.
Matthew Ronfeldt, a University of Michigan education professor, said his research shows that ?turnover not only affects the morale of other teachers and administrators left behind, but their ability to keep students' test scores up in an environment when many teachers are leaving.?
In a study Ronfeldt co-authored, researchers looked at New York City test-score data from 850,000 fourth- and fifth-graders over eight years. They noticed students in the same school scored lower in years when more teachers left than in years when more stayed, and the effect was worse in schools with more economically disadvantaged and minority students.
What's harder to nail down is exactly why a teacher leaves, as it can differ on a case-by-case basis, Ronfeldt said.
One study, co-authored in 2010 by one of Ronfeldt's research partners, Stanford University's Susanna Loeb, found that teachers sometimes quit because they find they are not effective at improving scores on standardized tests.
But it also suggested that the onus is on principals and district leaders to ascertain why teachers are quitting.
By doing so, ?school and district decision-makers can better target their resources to retain their teachers, especially where they are needed the most,? Loeb's report stated.
While pay might be a factor in teachers quitting, a school's climate can trump that, said Tom Cummins, executive director of the American Federation of Teachers' local chapter.
?Usually, a high turnover rate is an indicator of low morale,? Cummings said. ?Having a strong school principal can really set the tone at the school level.?
Teachers and principals alike often seek out strong leaders, such as the superintendent and school board, in deciding where to work. The superintendent, in turn, relies on the board to establish the district's image, which can attract or repel high-quality teachers, Cummings said.
Since last year, six of the area's largest districts ? Northside, North East, San Antonio, Harlandale, Edgewood and South San ? have changed superintendents. Those in San Antonio's inner-city districts left mainly because of waning support from their boards.
Contentious departures can rattle teachers and staff, adding to worries about changes in a district's direction, experts said.
?That relationship is tremendously important to the bottom line when it comes to achievement,? said Brian Woods, Northside's superintendent. ?It's all interconnected.?
Somerset and Southside saw their turnover rates shrink from 2007 to 2011 ? with Somerset's falling from 27 percent to 11 percent, and Southside's from 25 percent to 10 percent.
During that same time, the districts went from making headlines for trustee infighting to selecting superintendents who managed to win mostly unanimous board votes for their plans.
Improved working relationships could've made a difference in turnover, though the onset of the recession might have, too.
John Horn, a former Dallas-area superintendent who conducts workshops with superintendents and school boards nationally, said having a district's top decision-makers in harmony keeps up momentum.
?The greater concern is the impact of all that discord on the staff and the quality of education, as those things are adversely affected when a board is squabbling,? Horn said. ?Over a period of time, a dysfunctional board ? and the decisions they make ? will lead to a dysfunctional school district.?
Charters' defense
At some charter districts where turnover rates are low or dropping, such as the 20 percent at Jubilee Academic Center last year, leaders recognize the importance of school climate.
Three Jubliee teachers said they've stayed because of supportive administrators and parents. Jubilee Superintendent Daniel Amador said he tries to combat turnover by listening to teachers and addressing their concerns.
?It's about a customer-service mentality,? Amador said. ?Public and charter schools are facing the same challenges and really we need to make sure our teachers feel equipped.?
Charter school administrators at districts where turnover has been high say it's because they can't pay as well and have less staff and infrastructure than the larger traditional districts.
San Antonio Technology Academy, a charter that focuses on computer science training for at-risk students in grades 9-12, had only eight teachers last year, so when one or two teachers leave it can dramatically increase the turnover rate, unlike at Northside, which employs thousands more teachers.
?We get a lot of young teachers just starting out and we welcome that,? said Earl Costley, the school's principal. ?They do tend to move on to better-paying public schools, but teachers have to get their start somewhere, and it's hard to find a job as a teacher in public schools starting out.?
Some charters are aggressively tackling the problem.
KIPP San Antonio, for example, paid teachers $53,000 on average in recent years, the most locally, not only among charter schools, but ahead of most traditional districts and second only to Alamo Heights ISD.
It afforded it by keeping a lean central office staff and taking in private donations, KIPP San Antonio's CEO Mark Larson said. More recently, however, it lowered its average salary to match SAISD, where the charter's three campuses are located.
KIPP cut its turnover rate from 71 percent to 36 percent last year and maintained an academic record as one of the city's better-performing charters.
?But we want to get (the rate) lower, and a main challenge is that we demand much of our teachers and not everyone realizes they aren't cut out for it,? Larson said.
Teachers are expected to answer students' calls about homework on weekends and work after 5 p.m., when school lets out.
Larson also said KIPP recognizes the need for professional development and support. Each campus has an instructional coach and a ?teacher tank? where teachers can better interact.
At another charter, Higgs, Carter, King Gifted and Talented Charter Academy, the turnover rate shot up from 22 percent in 2008 to 68 percent in 2011. Its founder and superintendent, Claudette Yarbrough, knew she had to do something about it.
?I think our turnover rates are high because we simply can't pay more,? Yarbrough said.
Yarbrough spearheaded an effort with 10 charter school districts in San Antonio, such as George Gervin Academy, Por Vida Academy and Southwest Preparatory School, to win a federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant of $13.6 million over five years that gives teachers extra pay for showing improvement through test scores and classroom observations.
Higgs teachers have seen their salaries increase by about $12,000 in the past few years and are now earning $41,000 annually.
Higgs teacher Janice Phillips, 54, has worked at the charter for eight years and can afford to because of retirement income after 23 years in the Air Force.
?A charter school is just not for everybody, as it is hard work,? Phillips said. ?But I like the environment. It's small and like family, so I can't see myself anywhere else.?
It's a sentiment echoed by one of Phillips' peers at a traditional public school: Karen Pumphrey, an award-winning special education teacher at Clark High School for 17 years.
?I think that teachers who stay feel like it's family at school, and you want to feel like the superintendent, your principals and administrators are behind you, too,? Pumphrey said. ?Pay is important, but it's not like teachers are out to make six-figure salaries.?
fvara-orta@express-news.net
Data Editor Joe Yerardi contributed to this report.
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