The five candidates running for the open seats on the Carroll Community School District’s (CCSD) Board of Education discussed a major challenge faced by many rural school districts, teacher retention, during the Carroll Chamber of Commerce’s Candidate Forum Tuesday evening. Even with the mandatory minimum salary requirement passed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2024, districts across Iowa report difficulty retaining qualified teaching staff for their vacancies. Candidate Angela Owen says teachers are extremely important to students and the district needs to make sure that they get what the teachers need to be successful.
Dr. Charles Svensson says that teacher retention is one of the biggest challenges that the district is currently facing.
Jeff Cullen says the school board needs to listen to the teachers and their needs, but not only just listen, they also need to act on it.
Hunter Harmening says teacher retention is a huge issue and says the solution starts with the culture of the school.
Kirsten Lundstrom, who currently serves as the school board’s president, says she has sat on the negotiation committee for three years, and says she believes the district has heard the teachers’ needs and did the best they could to provide them their requests.
The video of the Chamber of Commerce’s Candidate Forum can be found included below.
