Professional Staff:
Retaining & Attracting Excellent Professional Staff
2025-2030: Professional Staff
Our professional staff are passionate, dedicated, mission-aligned, and community-minded. The teachers at St. Luke’s are experts in child development, instruction, and community building. Uniquely prepared to guide students during their most important ages, 4 through 14, our teachers develop rich and challenging intellectual environments grounded in a genuine understanding of our students and commitment to their social and emotional well-being. The administrative staff supports our dedication to children and their development by creating, sustaining, and improving the structures and systems that ensure safe, nurturing facilities. It is a team effort, and we are all in it together!
Over the next five years, the school will continue to be intentional in investing in our professional staff to ensure that we retain and attract individuals who are experts in their fields and who engage in the joys of collaborating, are committed to student-focused pedagogy, are enthusiastic about lifelong learning, and desire to nurture belonging for all members of our community.
Strategic Priority 1
Determine the factors that are important for professional staff retention and create a comprehensive approach that considers compensation, workload, professional development, and belonging.
Strategic Priority 2
Expand our review process that articulates pathways for growth, evaluates individual performance, and clearly and effectively communicates opportunities for professional development, leadership, and innovation.
Strategic Priority 3
Create and implement an informed and comprehensive recruitment strategy to attract diverse and talented professionals who meet the current and future needs of our students and program.
Professional Staff and Belonging
At St Luke’s, belonging is an essential component of the professional staff experience. In order for professional staff to continue to bring their best selves to our students, families, and curricular development, they need a workplace where they are valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. As we look to the future, we will ensure that our recruitment, retention, and professional growth structures prioritize belonging and anti-bias practices.
Our Goals:
Professional Staff 2026 - 2027
Building on the successes of Year 1, we will continue to enhance the professional staff community by focusing on culture, quality of life, professional growth, and recruitment and retention.
We will continue to improve the recruitment process and begin implementing methods to increase our applicant funnel. For current professional staff, we will institutionalize a comprehensive system of professional review and, for new professional staff, we will continue to improve our onboarding process. We will launch a faculty professional review and expand administrative professional review to include all 12-month employees. After completing the two-year process of benchmarking and increasing teacher salaries, we will review the salaries of 12-month employees. As we continue to expand pathways for growth, development, and recognition, we will also explore retention structures that enhance the experience of our professional staff and deepen our commitment to student-centered teaching and learning.
Our Strategic Plan in Action: 2025-2026
Key accomplishments of the 2025-2026 school year are below. Click on the photos to read more about the:
• research of the Professional Review Committee as a foundation for the beta version of faculty professional review
• sustainable calendar for senior and mid-level administrative 360 reviews
• implementation of student end-of-year survey feedback for teacher review
• mid-year check-in with new staff
• onboarding of our new Head of Lower School, Shawn Chisty, as a model for how to onboard new senior leadership
• cohort of veteran faculty who provide important feedback
• expansion of the Upper School in math, English, and history
• completion of the benchmarking and salary increases for faculty
• launch of external school visits for all professional staff
• Equity Institute training for all professional staff
As part of the process of developing a faculty professional review process, a Professional Review Committee was created comprised of faculty and administrators in order to help develop a beta version of a review. (Responsive staff feedback structures)
As part of the process of developing a faculty professional review process, a Professional Review Committee was created comprised of faculty and administrators in order to help develop a beta version of a review. (Responsive staff feedback structures)
All senior and mid-level administrators undergo a 360 professional review process with a sustainable calendar for goal setting, goal tracking, and survey feedback. (Responsive staff feedback structures)
All senior and mid-level administrators undergo a 360 professional review process with a sustainable calendar for goal setting, goal tracking, and survey feedback. (Responsive staff feedback structures)
All Upper School teachers surveyed their students for end-of-year feedback. (Responsive staff feedback structures)
All Upper School teachers surveyed their students for end-of-year feedback. (Responsive staff feedback structures)
Human Resources checked in with all new professional staff to hear about the year so far, what they appreciated, and what we could do better. (Extensive onboarding process)
Human Resources checked in with all new professional staff to hear about the year so far, what they appreciated, and what we could do better. (Extensive onboarding process)
Welcome, Shawn! As part of a robust onboarding process, Shawn spent almost 10 days on campus and had 10 dinners with faculty and staff, getting to know us and us getting ot know him! (Extensive onboarding process)
Welcome, Shawn! As part of a robust onboarding process, Shawn spent almost 10 days on campus and had 10 dinners with faculty and staff, getting to know us and us getting ot know him! (Extensive onboarding process)
The Veteran Professional Staff are valued for their institutional knowledge and are a vital community within the adult community, whose feedback is now being formally used as part of the school goal-setting process, along with other sources like the Head’s Council report, surveys, and accreditation reports. (Robust retention strategies)
The Veteran Professional Staff are valued for their institutional knowledge and are a vital community within the adult community, whose feedback is now being formally used as part of the school goal-setting process, along with other sources like the Head’s Council report, surveys, and accreditation reports. (Robust retention strategies)
As part of our ongoing work to assess quality of life for our professional staff, workload, and student-to-teacher ratios, we increased the Upper School faculty in mathematics, English, and history, moving from two sections to three. (Robust retention strategies)
As part of our ongoing work to assess quality of life for our professional staff, workload, and student-to-teacher ratios, we increased the Upper School faculty in mathematics, English, and history, moving from two sections to three. (Robust retention strategies)
As part of a two-year process of benchmarking and adjusting faculty salaries, we are excited to report that our faculty are at or above the median of our peer schools. (Robust retention strategies)
As part of a two-year process of benchmarking and adjusting faculty salaries, we are excited to report that our faculty are at or above the median of our peer schools. (Robust retention strategies)
As part of our commitment to lifelong learning, all professional staff spent a professional learning day visiting schools in New York and New Jersey. (Pathways for professional growth)
As part of our commitment to lifelong learning, all professional staff spent a professional learning day visiting schools in New York and New Jersey. (Pathways for professional growth)
As part of our commitment to fostering belonging in our community for students, families, and professional staff, all professional staff were trained in best practices for equity, inclusion, and justice. (Pathways for professional growth)
As part of our commitment to fostering belonging in our community for students, families, and professional staff, all professional staff were trained in best practices for equity, inclusion, and justice. (Pathways for professional growth)
A Look Ahead:
Professional Staff 2027 - 2030
2027 - 2028
In the third year of the plan, we will continue expanding our applicant funnel and our reputation as a school that values and invests in a thriving culture for professional staff. For new members of our professional community, we will continue improving our onboarding process, creating one that extends beyond the first year at St. Luke’s. In the Lower School, we will enhance the professional learning and ex-missions process of our Associate Teacher Program. For all professional staff, we will socialize the expanded pathways for growth, development, and recognition while also deepening our commitment to mission-aligned professional development and student-centered teaching and learning.
2028 - 2029
We will assess how we’ve expanded our applicant funnel and will continue to invest in attracting experienced, mission-aligned, and exceptional professionals. Our retention program will continue to address the needs of our professional staff by focusing on robust professional growth, deepening our education systems, and supporting student growth. For our associate teachers in particular, we will finalize the improvements made in professional education and ex-missions.
2029 - 2030
In our final year of the plan, we will focus our resources on retention structures that meet the needs of our professional staff and support student-centered learning. We will firmly institutionalize robust pathways for professional growth, systems for mission-aligned staff education plans, and recognition of excellence at St. Luke’s School.
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