Ann Arbor Times

The Ypsilanti School District could do more to retain educators, according to an audit from a nonprofit organization.

Battelle For Kids, led by JoAnne Marte and Tony Bagshaw, presented their data to the school board at its March 13 meeting.

Bagshaw said that the district had more positive marks than those that needed improvement, which is a rare occurrence in their work.

“You've got a low student teacher ratio and you've got really nice amounts of support staff in the buildings, multiple types of counselors,” said Bagshaw. “That's a huge opportunity for you. You do have a current one-time retention bonus. We have a lot of experiential rewards, if you want to learn and grow and get better this is a grand place to do it. And I think your commitment to diversity is about as strong as any place I have ever been."

He added that the district has done an excellent job in diversifying its staff, which is aligned with the district’s mission.

“Your challenge area is (that) you're having trouble paying people,” continued Bagshaw. “This is news to no one. But you're losing talented people and it's just about money. And I won't drag this into the science behind how much difference it is, but I'm going to tell you that the difference is enough, that it's a lifestyle change for people and that they're not leaving you because they don't like working with you or for you. They're leaving you just for money.”

The audit specifically examined the areas of human resources and human capital: employment, authority structures, communication and overall satisfaction. The process included the district members submitting self-reports before the auditors came in, and then the consultants came to fallow up.

The broad scope showed the weakest area to be in the retention efforts of the district.

Bagshaw said that the district's strengths involved their professional development programs and opportunities, community efforts and magnet program.

District personnel involved in the audit universally agreed that the district could improve in salaries that it offers and its reputation amongst educators.

The auditors gave a number of suggestions for improvement, but often circled back to improving their compensation rates in a competitive sector because they are significantly below the market rate.