Resignations from Sioux Falls Schools Jump 60%; 28% of New Hires from Outside South Dakota

139 teachers chose to make the 2021–2022 school year their last in the employ of the Sioux Falls School District. That’s up 89 resignations in the previous school year.

That 60% increase in staff departures—which do not include retirements—did not come from more teachers heading to other states; while the district lost 22 teachers last year to out-of-state jobs, this year only 3 teachers reported finding better teaching gigs across the border. 25 Sioux Falls teachers went to work in nearby school districts, compared to 27 last year, and one more Sioux Falls teacher left to teach farther away in South Dakota, compared to two last year.

The big jump in resignations came primarily from teachers moving away—55 this year versus 13 last year—and teachers choosing to stay home to take of their kids and families instead of wrangling our kiddos all day—25 such homeward resignations this year versus 4 last year. The raw number of teachers leaving the profession increased from 14 last year to 19 this year, but as a percentage of resignations, those quitting teaching declined from 16% to less than 14%.

The Sioux Falls School District has hired 220 new teachers this year, up just one from last year but well above the average of 140 new teachers in the five school years from AY2017 to AY2021.

62 of those teachers—28% of the newbies—came from out of state. Sioux Falls recruited 17 Minnesotans, 10 Iowegians, and 6 Nebraskans. 12 of those out-of-staters are also out-of-country-ers: three are from Colombia, three from the Philippines, two from España, and one each from Germany, Mozambique, Oman, and Sweden. Remember, newcomers: the Governor says you can move here, but you aren’t allowed to change anything.