Approximately 140 new teachers were welcomed to Geary USD 475 during the new teacher breakfast Monday in Junction City.  As of Monday’s school board meeting 16 positions remain open.

Board member Tom Brungardt is concerned about the cost of what the district loses. “In this day and age when teachers are hard to come by, as has been reported in the media, having a loss of about 25 percent of our district every year, turnover of about 25 percent every year does create some problems. It’s expensive to train new people, it’s a problem because all of these new people have to be evaluated twice a year for a couple of years which creates a headache for the administration. It doesn’t provide us the kind of continuity I would like.”

Brungardt added he thinks it’s something the school board needs to study and how they can better retain teachers. “And it isn’t just salary, although salary is a big part of it. There’ve been studies that show that pay the teachers all the money in the world, and if there’re not a place they want to work they won’t stay there.

Brungardt told fellow Board members on Monday he would like the district to look at a long range plan to retain staff.