Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles describing discussions at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues breakfast, held Aug. 20.
MOULTRIE – Recruiting and retaining quality teachers seemed to be a recurring theme during the education panel at the second annual Eggs & Issues event hosted by the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 20 at Southern Regional Technical College.
Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, PCOM's Associate Director of Diversity and Community Relations, moderated the education panel, which also featured Colquitt County School System Superintendent Dan Chapius, PCOM South Georgia Dean Dr. Jennifer Shaw, Southern Regional Technical College President Jim Glass and Colquitt Christian Academy President Nestor Colls Senach.
Mitchell began the panel with the question, “As a school leader, what are you most concerned about for your employees and what gives you peace of mind?”
Shaw was the first to respond, saying her main concern was “whether we can recruit and retain the faculty that we bring in and whether we can attract students to the area.”
She added that another concern is making sure PCOM South Georgia has enough space in its facilities so the college can continue to grow.
Shaw said it's reassuring to know that faculty are fully committed and “without question” completely committed to PCOM students.
Cols Senach said she is concerned that because Colquitt Christian Academy is a nonprofit, 80 percent of tuition goes to teacher salaries and the remaining 20 percent goes to operating costs.
“We are very fortunate here in Moultrie and Colquitt County in that we have very generous people who donate to help offset some of the other costs we incur as a private Christian school,” he added.
He said the school is full of great teachers who are passionate about their work, but because it's a nonprofit, salaries are much lower than those in the public school system.
“So my goal is to find more contributors, both within the county and outside of it, and increase their pay, because we're all part of a family,” Colls Senach said, adding that she wants to ensure teachers are compensated appropriately for the work they do and also have a benefits package.
“We have one goal, and we make no apologies for that, and that is talent development,” Glass said.
He said when it comes to hiring and retaining quality faculty, their teachers are industry experts and they only bring in people who are experts as teachers.
“This allows us to build great relationships with companies and is a huge benefit to our students,” Glass said, thanking government officials in the audience for the state salary increases faculty received.
He further said SRTC has fixed retirement benefits, good public medical benefits, vacation and sick leave hours.
“I guess I'm on a recruiting mission,” he said, drawing laughs, “Come work at Southern Regional and you're going to have a good time and we're going to take good care of you.”
Chappuis said the Colquitt County school system operates under four pillars that guide decision-making.
“We are going to have a safe and positive learning environment. The focus will be on learning, not teaching. We want to build a collaborative culture and add to that that we have today where we work with the community, teachers work with us, students work with us, parents work with us. There's an old saying that 'it takes a village' and it really does, so we want to build that collaborative culture. And finally, we're going to look at results,” he said.
He said his concern is that safety in the school system will always be the number one priority because learning will not occur if staff and students do not feel safe.
“We're dealing with a national teacher shortage and we want to recruit and retain top educators. Our primary job is to get the best people we can find in front of our kids, and I think our school board has done a really good job over the past few years,” Chappuis said.
He added that the school system has a competitive salary structure across the region and also has programs in place such as tuition reimbursement to support teacher development and paraprofessional certification.
“Our teachers are working hard and focusing on the right things to produce quality graduates who will contribute to our community in the future,” Chappuis said.
The next question Mitchell asked the school board was, “What can the community do to support you?”
Shaw was quick to say, “Tell people about PCOM South Georgia.”
She said she was surprised that many people in the South Georgia area didn't know there was a medical school here.
“So I think getting the word out to people is a big part of it, and I think creating more places for students to live is another big part of it for the community,” she said.
Colls Senach spoke about the Golden Dome Scholarship Fund, which individuals can donate to help pay for tuition. Georgia's private school tax credit law allows individuals and businesses to receive a tax credit when they donate to a private school student scholarship organization.
“To increase salaries, you usually have to increase tuition fees. I'm trying my best not to increase tuition fees because I want to make it affordable for all families and students,” he said.
Glass said SRTC is increasingly becoming a first choice, and people really value their abilities and understand the transferability of their courses.
“What you can do for us is continue to help spread the word that we're a great place, we can train you and get you out there right away,” he said. “That's what we believe.”
“I'll be honest with you, I've worked in a few other school districts in my career, and I feel this district is more supportive of youth activities than any district I've ever been in,” Chappuis said.
He further stated that educators were attracted to community support because they wanted to be in a place where the community would support them.
“The work you're doing to support young people is fantastic,” he said.
Chappuis also said partnerships and community support are something he leveraged when recruiting teachers and that he hopes to continue doing so in the future.
The final question for the judges was if there was one thing about their school that they were particularly proud of.
Colz Senach responded that she was impressed with Colquitt Christian Academy's classical Christian curriculum.
“You can tailor the curriculum to the student; you don't have to tailor the student to the curriculum,” he said.
He said he likes that everything that happens in school is based on the Bible, and that every subject taught in public schools is taught in the light of the Bible.
“I want to highlight the work of our teachers. I think that's the biggest thing I can say. Our teachers work extremely hard,” Chapuis said.
He said he strongly believes teaching is a calling and is grateful to all teachers for answering that calling.
“We are producing quality graduates who will have an impact on the community in the future and that's the great work of our teachers who are working on the ground with our students every day,” he said.
Shaw said he is proud of the servant-heartedness of PCOM South Georgia students.
“They're very busy with their medical school curriculum, but they're also part of the Boys & Girls Club, they're working with local elementary school students learning culinary medicine and growing vegetables. They're all over the place, and they manage to fit into the community while still meeting their academic demands,” she said.
She also said she was proud of the disposition and rapport among her students, who were comfortable leaving their bags, wallets and mobile phones outside the classrooms while taking their exams.
“I want to reiterate that we are your university,” Glass said. “We span 11 counties, have four major campuses, more than a million square feet of floor space and employ nearly 600 full-time and part-time employees, but we are your university.”
He further stated that SRTC exists for the community and that idea is instilled in all staff members.
“If you ever need anything, please contact us,” Glass said.