Dublin schools dealing with mass exit of teachers

Already searching for a new superintendent, the Dublin City School district has several other high-profile vacancies to fill after almost 30 resignations and an upper-level retirement so far this month.

The school board approved 20 resignations and three retirements Tuesday following a closed session to discuss personnel. 

However, district officials say the schools will be adequately staffed.

“We’re not stressed about it,” said Dublin City Board of Education Chairwoman Amanda Smith. “Some of those teachers are already reapplying.”

Smith said the school board’s delay in approving a new salary scale, as it sought to cut into a looming deficit, likely contributed to the larger-than-usual exit.

“You can’t fault them. The delay with the salary sheets and uncertainty of things kind of drove fear for some of them.”

Despite cutting an estimated $10 million in annual payroll since last August, when the district was found to be facing a $13.4 million deficit by fiscal year’s end, the system was still overstaffed in areas, Smith said. 

Some of the vacant positions will not filled, at least for now. For instance, Smith said, the agriculture teaching position will be one of the areas that could be revisited “as we have more interest and more funding.”

“We have to ask what do our kids need. That’s more money that could be spent on Tier I education.”

Other positions will be classified differently to save money. The human resources position will no longer be considered a director’s position, but rather a coordinator or simply “human resources.”

“We’re looking at everything we can cut,” said Smith.

Also last Tuesday, the board renewed the contracts of 18 teachers at Dublin Middle, Susie Dasher and Hillcrest. It renewed one on April 13 – a part-time contract for safety director Tim Chatman.

Here are the resignations and retirements approved by the school board so far this month:

April 21

•Resignations: Antonio Tinsley, bus driver; Tanna Dobbs, Susie Dasher Elementary; Matt Starley, teacher, IGA; Brian Brown, teacher and head baseball coach, IGA; Pamela Woodard, teacher, IGA; Susan Landrum, teacher, Hillcrest Elementary;  Nurka Holmes, teacher, Dublin Middle; Ross Tanner, teacher, Dublin Middle; Diana Bond, teacher, Dublin Middle; Donna Tydings, Dublin Middle; Matthew Pogue, teacher, Dublin Middle; Kimberly Rayner, teacher, Dublin Middle; Tyrone Gonder, counselor, Dublin Middle; Daryl O’Neal, teacher, Dublin Middle; Mark Donnell, teacher, Dublin High; Monique King, teacher, Dublin High; Jessica Lemon, counselor, Dublin High; Cynthia Scott, teacher, Dublin High; Anne Murphy, teacher, Dublin High; Marcus Rayner, teacher and band director Dublin High.

•Retirements: D’Andrea King, teacher, Susie Dasher; Becky Soles, teacher, IGA; Amy Duke, director of human resources

April 13

•Resignations: Matt Taylor, principal, IGA; Lantysha Smith, teacher, IGA; Seth Watts, teacher, Dublin Middle; Kari McDaniel, teacher, IGA; Jasmyn Mikel, academic coach, Susie Dasher; Michelle Mitchell, teacher and head girls basketball coach, Dublin High; Ancelia Chisholm-Brooks, teacher, Hillcrest

•Retirements: Ella Belflower, teacher, IGA