Letter: More reasons than pay for teachers leaving

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 | 7:16 a.m.

This is in response to the Aug. 12 Where I Stand column by Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes.

In the first paragraph, he mentions the challenge of retaining teachers. Unfortunately, the solutions he provided later in the article focused mainly on teacher pay.

I've read numerous articles about the recruiting challenges the district faces and some of the creative recruiting efforts it has undertaken. However, I've never read anything about the district analyzing the causes of turnover and taking action to make changes in those areas.

In 20 years of human resources management, I've found that it's often poor managers who complain that their employees are leaving because of low pay. But is pay the main reason? It seems that people become teachers knowing they won't make a lot of money. Maybe there are other reasons that make them decide the pay isn't enough to keep them in the field.

As someone who now does employee surveys for a living, I know that there are many factors that cause a person to be satisfied with his job. Does he feel appreciated? Does he have positive relationships with supervisors and co-workers? Does he have the opportunity to do his job the way he feels is best? Does he think management listens and responds to his concerns?

These things are generally within the control of management. Instead of focusing primarily on wages (which are largely outside of the district's control), it might be more effective for managers to look at themselves and focus on improving what's within their control.

Dave Newton, Las Vegas