EXAMINING EMPLOYEE

TURNOVER

October
2021 A closer look at why employees are leaving

Fauquier County Public Schools School Year 2020-2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A closer look at why people are leaving ...........................................................................3

Certified Staff
What types of employees are leaving Fauquier County Public Schools? ............................5
Why are they leaving? ...................................................................................................5
How long were they here? ..............................................................................................7
Who are their next employers? ......................................................................................8
How do employees feel about working for Fauquier County Public Schools? .....................9
How do employees feel about administration? .................................................................9
How do employees feel about the school environment? ....................................................9
How are our benefits viewed? ......................................................................................10
Classified Staff
What types of employees are leaving Fauquier County Public Schools? ..........................10
Why are they leaving? ................................................................................................. 11
How long were they here? ............................................................................................12
Who are their next employers? ....................................................................................13
How do employees feel about working for Fauquier County Public Schools? ...................13
How do employees feel about administration? ...............................................................13
How do employees feel about the school environment? ..................................................14
How are our benefits viewed? ......................................................................................14
Final Thoughts ...........................................................................................................15

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A CLOSER LOOK AT WHY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING
During the 2020-2021 school year, Fauquier County Public Schools (FCPS) had 301
employment separations, (74 more than 19-20), including retirees; of this number, 178 are
certified employees and 123 are classified employees. There were 78 retirees total for 2020-
2021; 46 are certified and 32 are classified. Of the 221 non-retiring employees separating from
the school division, 131 are certified and 90 are classified. When retirees are removed from the
total; the turnover percentage rate for the division was 11.6% the 20-21 school year.

Fauquier County Public Schools has two main classifications of employees; certified and
classified. To determine where the majority of turnover has occurred, the separations have been
listed by classification for the last seven years.

Turnover Percent
School Year Certified Classified Total Employees
(excluding retirees)

2020-2021 178 123 301 11.6%

2019-2020 104 123 227 8.2%

2018-2019 134 110 244 9.6%

2017-2018 129 121 250 10.0%

2016-2017 86 74 160 5.0%

2015-2016 95 86 181 6.8%

2014-2015 113 95 208 8.3%

2013-2014 91 102 193 7.8%

The turnover percentage noted above for 2020-2021 does not include retirees. The turnover rate
including retirees is 15.8%.

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 Certified Staff
Certified staff includes Teachers, School Counselors, School Psychologists, Speech Pathologists,
Social Workers and School Administration

CERTIFIED TURNOVER THROUGH THE YEARS

The graph below illustrates the number of certified staff turnover by year beginning with
SY 2003-2004. The graph includes all separations including retirements.

Number of Certified Separations

178

129 134
110 113 113
98 102 104
96 93 91 95
87 86
76 79
56

03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20 20-21

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What types of Certified employees are leaving Fauquier County Public Schools?

The chart below illustrates the position categories and their respective turnover percentages. The
data illustrated below does not include retirements.

Exiting SY 20-21 SY 19-20 Percent

Position
Employees Turnover Percent Turnover Percent Change
Instructional Supervisors 1 7.1% 7.1% 0.0%
Librarians 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
OT/PT 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Principals/AP’s /A D’s 4 8.2% 2.0% 6.1%
School Counselor 5 13.9% 11.1% 2.8%
School Psychologist 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
School Social Worker 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Speech Pathologist 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Behavior Analyst 1 33.3% 0.0% 33.3%
Teachers/Diagnosticians 120 12.8% 6.8% 6.0%
Total Positions 131 7.5% 2.7% 4.8%

WHY ARE THEY LEAVING?

Resignation: 131 employees
Retirement: 46 employees

Why Employees Left FCPS

140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Resignation Retirement

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 One hundred twenty-six certified employees completed the exit survey. The top reasons given
were Compensation and Retirement followed by Work Conditions and Relocation.

Reasons for Separating from FCPS

40

35 38
35
30

25

20

15

10 14
12
10
5
6 5 6
0
Career Compensation Family Health/Medical Relocation Retirement Type of Work Work
Advancement Circumstances Reasons Conditions

2020-2021 2019-2020 2018-2019 2017-2018 2016-17

Certified Certified Certified Certified Total*

Career Advancement 6 6 5 4 8
Compensation 38 19 27 16 12
Family Circumstances 10 10 14 17 13
Health/Medical Reasons 5 4 7 N/A N/A
Interpersonal Conflicts 0 0 1 1 0
Quality of Supervision 0 2 2 4 4
Relocation 12 11 19 12 6
Retirement 35 34 30 25 25
Type of Work 6 1 5 N/A N/A
Work Conditions 14 4 5 4 6
Other 0 0 0 8 4
* SY16-17 show totals for certified and classified staff.

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 HOW LONG ARE THEY HERE?
This chart illustrates the majority of people leave during the first three years of service.

Years of Service

60
60

50 52

40

30 32
26
20 24
19 19
17
10 11 11
6 5
0
0-3 Years 4-6 Years 7-10 Years 11-14 Years 15-24 Years 25+ Years

20-21 19-20

The chart below shows the number of employees leaving the division in SY20-21 versus the
number in SY19-20 with same years of service. The charts shows a similar pattern to what we
have seen in years past with a majority of employees leaving within 0-10 years. This year we
have also seen an increase in the years of service between 11-24 years.

Certified
20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20
0-3 0-3 4-6 4-6 7-10 7-10 11-14 11-14 15-24 15-24 25+ 25+
years years years years years years years years years years years years
Resignation 57 49 29 10 15 4 14 3 14 2 2 0
Retirement 2 1 3 1 2 2 5 2 12 8 22 19
Released/Nonrenewal 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Deceased 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

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 WHO ARE THEIR NEXT EMPLOYERS?
Seventy-one individuals (not including retirees) provided an answer to the question asking about
their next employers. The remaining employees stated that they were still looking, not working
in the future or simply left the answer blank. The chart below shows the various categories of
responses.

Next Employer
80

70
71
60

50

40

30

20

10
2
5 5 2
0 4
Public School Non-Public Other Industry Stay at Home Furthering Self
School Education

Stafford, 4

Loudoun, 5

Prince William, 16

Fairfax, 6

Manassas City, 7

Out-of-State, 14

Culpeper, 10

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 Other divisions include Spotslvania, Warren, Fredricksburg, Green, Maidson and Orange.

HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT WORKING FOR FAUQUIER

COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Separating employees were asked if they would recommend FCPS to others as a good place to
work. Of the one hundred-twenty certified employees that answered the question, fifty-six
employees said that they would most definitely recommend Fauquier County Public Schools.
Forty-seven responded that they would recommend with reservations, and seventeen said they
would not recommend FCPS. For the employees that indicated that they would recommend
FCPS with reservations, compensation and communication were the top reasons given for having
their reservations.

HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT ADMINISTRATION?

The exit survey contained seven questions that allowed employees to provide feedback on their
direct supervisor or administrator.

Almost Always Usually Sometimes Never No Response

Consistently Fair 75 34 12 1 4
Provided Recognition 67 26 25 3 5
Resolved Complaints 62 27 26 4 7
Sensitive to Needs 77 24 17 4 4
Provided Feedback 71 24 19 8 4
Open Communication 85 20 12 5 4
Followed Policy 95 21 4 0 6

HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT?

Exiting employees were asked to respond to questions that addressed the overall school
environment.

Excellent Good Fair Poor No Response

Cooperation within School 60 46 11 5 4
Cooperation with other Schools/Departments 43 56 16 5 6
Respect from Co-Workers 75 26 19 2 4
Job Training 46 51 21 4 4
Equipment 31 46 34 11 4
Performance Review System 32 52 24 14 4
New Hire Orientation 30 53 23 5 15
Rate of Pay 4 22 43 53 4
Career Development/Advancement Opportunities 31 43 31 17 4
Physical Work Conditions 34 50 25 10 7

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HOW ARE BENEFITS VIEWED?
Responses to the exit interview regarding benefits were analyzed. Overall, employees are
extremely satisfied with the benefits provided, and how they work for their family.

Classified Staff Turnover

Classified staff includes Administrative staff, Instructional Assistants, Bus Drivers and Bus
Aides, School Nutrition, Custodians and School Nurses.

WHAT TYPES OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES ARE LEAVING FAUQUIER

COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
The chart below illustrates the different position categories and their respective turnover
percentages. The data does not include retirements.

Exiting SY 20-21 SY 19-20 Percent

Position
Employees Turnover Percent Turnover Percent Change
Administrative Staff 12 8.6% 5.2% 3.3%
Administrators/Directors 1 5.6% 0.0% 5.6%
Bus Drivers/Aides 25 12.9% 11.9% 1.0%
Computer Services 1 5.9% 0.0% 5.9%
Custodians 9 8.4% 14.0% -5.6%
Food Service 16 13.2% 13.2% 0.0%
Instructional Assistant 19 9.1% 9.1% 0.0%
Safety and Security Officer 5 41.7% 16.7% 25.0%
School Health Nurse 2 10.5% 26.3% -15.8%
Total Positions 90 12.9% 10.5% 2.4%

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WHY ARE THEY LEAVING?
Resignation: 85
Retirement: 32
Released: 5

Why Employees Left FCPS

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Resignation Retirement Released

Forty-three classified employees completed the exit survey. The top two reasons given were
Retirement and Compensation.

Reasons for Separating from FCPS

18
16
16
14
12
10
10
8
6
6
4
4
2 3
2 2
0
Career Compensation Family Health/Medical Relocation Retirement Work Conditions
Advancement Circumstances Reasons

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 2020-2021 2019-2020 2018-2019 2017-2018 2016-17
Classified Classified Classified Classified Total*
Career Advancement 2 2 4 5 8
Compensation 10 21 10 2 12
Family Circumstances 6 8 3 2 13
Health/Medical Reasons 4 5 7 N/A N/A
Quality of Supervision 0 0 2 0 0
Interpersonal Conflicts 0 0 0 0 4
Relocation 3 6 6 2 6
Retirement 16 23 12 15 25
Type of Work 0 1 1 N/A N/A
Work Conditions 2 2 1 1 6
Other 0 0 0 2 4
* SY16-17 show totals for certified and classified staff.

How long were they here?

The breakdown below clearly indicates that the large majority of people leaving do so in the first
three years of service.

How Long Were They Here?

70

60
62
59
50

40

30

20
19
10 14 15 15
12 11
9
4 7
0 6
0-3 Years 4-6 Years 7-10 Years 11-14 Years 15-24 Years 25+ Years
19-20 18-19

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 The chart below shows the number of employees leaving the division in SY20-21 versus the
number in SY19-20 with same years of service.

Classified
20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20 20-21 19-20
0-3 0-3 4-6 4-6 7-10 7-10 11-14 11-14 15-24 15-24 25+ 25+
years years years years years years years years years years years years
Resignation 60 52 8 11 5 1 5 8 6 4 1 1
Retirement 1 1 2 0 3 1 3 5 10 14 13 14
Released/Nonrenewal 2 6 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
Deceased 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

WHO ARE THEIR NEXT EMPLOYERS?

Nineteen individuals provided an answer to the question asking about their next employer. The
remaining stated they were still looking or simply left the answer blank. Four staff members
accepted a position with another public school division. Additionally, five classified employees
indicated they had accepted a position within an industry other than an educational environment.
One indicated that they will be staying home.
28% said they would recommend FCPS as a good place to work.

HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT WORKING FOR FAUQUIER

COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Separating employees were asked if they would recommend FCPS as a good place to work. Of
the forty employees that answered the question, twenty-eight said that they would most
definitely recommend Fauquier County Public Schools. Nine responded that they would
recommend with reservations and three employees said they would not recommend FCPS. The
employees that indicated that they would recommend FCPS with reservations compensation was
the reason stated for their reservations.

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 HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT ADMINISTRATION?
There were seven questions on the exit survey that allowed employees to provide feedback on
their direct supervisor or administer.
No
Almost Always Usually Sometimes Never Response
Consistently Fair 42 14 9 4 0
Provide Recognition 32 15 14 8 0
Resolved Complaints 23 21 15 8 2
Sensitive to Needs 36 17 9 7 0
Provide Feedback 37 14 12 6 0
Open Communication 42 14 8 5 0
Followed Policy 51 9 5 4 0

HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT THE SCHOOL

ENVIRONMENT?
Exiting employees were asked to respond to questions that addressed overall school
environment.
No
Excellent Good Fair Poor Response
Cooperation within School 25 37 4 2 1
Cooperation with other Schools/Departments 29 25 7 1 7
Respect from Co-Workers 42 22 5 0 0
Job Training 24 25 10 8 2
Equipment 16 35 15 3 0
Performance Review System 20 30 8 7 4
New Hire Orientation 18 28 6 5 12
Rate of Pay 4 13 18 34 0
Career Development/Advancement Opportunities 10 25 14 16 4
Physical Work Conditions 19 32 15 3 0

HOW ARE BENEFITS VIEWED?

Responses to the exit interview regarding benefits were analyzed. Overall, employees are
extremely satisfied with the benefits offered, and how they work for their family. The Employee
Wellness Center was noted as being an invaluable benefit.

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FINAL THOUGHTS
The top suggestion exiting employees gave for improving FCPS was compensation to be
competitive with surrounding divisions. Other suggestions included improved communication
and support within the division for employees.
All exiting employees; certified and classified, had the opportunity to share their thoughts on
how working in Fauquier County Public Schools could be improved. The top suggestion was to
increase pay. Fifty-nine employees stated that compensation should be addressed to be
competitive with surrounding localities. We saw an increase in staff leaving due to type of work
and work conditions with twenty-three people stating these as their reasons for leaving. Top
suggestions for this were to listen to staff and seek input and improve communication at all
levels especially when critical decisions are being made.

The overall turnover rate increased this year by 3.4%. Sixty-four percent of employees
separating from the Division had 0-10 years of experience with sixty-five percent of those having
0-3 years of service. We continue to see an increase in employees relocating from the area as
well as those leaving the teaching profession all together with twenty percent of separating
employees going to another industry.
The market for teachers and other certified staff continues to be very competitive due to limited
recruitment pools. We continue to see a decline in the number of applications received for
certified vacancies as well as a decrease in candidates despite our national recruitment reach. The
turnover rate for teacher positions this year increased by 6% from SY19-20.
These challenges are not unique to Fauquier County Public Schools or the Commonwealth. The
year 2021, has been coined “The Great Resignation” with people nationwide leaving their jobs in
record numbers. This has been attributed to a number of factors to include the pandemic; labor
shortages in most industries; transformation of business and remote work; and focus on mental
health needs of workers. We saw this reflected in our exit surveys with employees leaving due to
relocation (finding a job out of state themselves or a spouse); leaving the profession due to the
type of work being performed (twenty percent indicated this as their reason for leaving); and
employees leaving to work closer to home which works better for their family circumstances.
Within our region (Region IV), teacher turnover is approximately 12.75%. The higher turnover
rate, coupled with the limited applicant pool due to a decrease in people entering the profession
and an increase in people leaving the profession, we will need to continue to make the necessary
adjustments based on employee feedback to ensure we are supporting our current employees
while also attracting new employees.
It is crucial that we continue to address compensation to ensure we can attract and retain top
talent. In addition to compensation, we must also continue to promote the career advancement;
training and development; and working environment as key factors in employees choosing to
stay with Fauquier County Public Schools.

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