LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools students return to the classroom next week, but hundreds of teaching positions remain open. 

Buffy Sexton, a teacher at JCPS for nearly 20 years, submitted her resignation letter on Monday. She is one of hundreds who have done so in recent months.

"I was coming to the realization I couldn't go back to JCPS," Sexton said. "I went through almost like a grieving process because I was a teacher, that's who I was."

Buffy Sexton

Sexton spent months of the last school year on medical leave, under doctor's orders because of stress induced from the job.

"I was breaking out in hives, couldn't sleep, hyper alert," Sexton said.

JCPS has a record number of teacher resignations for 2022-23 school year, with 437 educators leaving the district voluntarily as of June 30, Aimee Green-Webb, the district's human resources chief said. That’s the most in the past six years since 337 teachers resigned during the 2018-19 school year, according to data presented at Tuesday's board meeting.

Sexton said reasons for teacher's to leave vary, but many shared similar frustrations as her: compensation not keeping up with inflation, losing designated planning period time, being forced to volunteer limited free-time to cover classrooms without teachers, and expectations to deal with students behavior problems — without any resources to do so.

"It's no joke when we laugh at the beginning of the year and say, 'ok what are they adding this year' because every year it's something else,'" Sexton said.

JCPS has 342 teaching openings listed on its employment website as of Tuesday evening, but Green-Webb, said that number does not include new hires who have not signed their teaching contracts.

"We've had 48 contract signings already this week," Superintendent Marty Pollio said Tuesday. "We had 57 job offers go out today."

The district plans to fill classroom vacancies with staff who hold teaching certifications, such as district resource teachers and instructional coaches, who can be assigned to schools on 12-week rotations through an agreement with the Jefferson County Teachers Association.

The district also detailed further retention efforts on Tuesday. The main goal is to begin the retention methods early-on in teacher's careers at JCPS, and to  stay in constant communication and survey teachers needs.

"That means we have to be responsive to each stage and not think about teachers as the same," said Dr. Marco Munoz, JCPS Employee Retention Associate.

However, Sexton argues the district isn't considering one important group of teachers in its retention efforts and that's tenured teachers.

"I didn't see any strategies to keep teachers that are already here," Sexton said. "Other than we want to try and let them know we care about them, we're going to send them a happy birthday email." 

Sexton said while JCPS can help with some existing problems, it will take more. Which JCTA KED Director Cassie Lyles agrees with.

"If teachers could feel the love from the community instead of constant criticism, if we had partners in our classroom that would be helpful," she said. "Community support can go a long way in a great school year."

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