From Burnout to Breakthrough: Teacher Retention Tips for Charter Schools

Quick look: Teacher retention is crucial for charter schools, especially with rising talent shortages and burnout. The secret to success? Educators stay longer when they feel valued. In this blog, discover three impactful HR strategies that help charter schools retain passionate educators who drive student success and align with your mission goals.

The 2025 Colorado Charter Schools Annual Conference invited educators and administrators to explore timely topics and innovative ideas shaping the learning landscape. Jeannine Johnson, ExtensisHR’s VP of Product Management and SchoolCloud™, joined its panelists to lead the conversation on a growing education trend: teacher retention.

By keeping educators on staff long-term, schools maintain continuity, manage workloads more effectively, and free up time to create sustainable learning environments for students.

The challenge with retaining great educators

Teachers are the heart of every classroom, giving students the knowledge and confidence they need to grow and succeed. Yet many charter schools struggle to retain a consistent staff. A shrinking talent pool is a primary factor, with the industry experiencing a 19% decrease in professionals earning education bachelor’s degrees.

Hiring processes take longer with fewer candidates, leaving existing staff to absorb unfilled responsibilities. This added workload, layered on top of their core duties, increases burnout, which 59% of teachers report experiencing. As a result, educators may have less time for meaningful one-on-one engagement with students, and 55% of educators end up leaving the profession earlier than planned.

Three solutions for teacher retention

Teachers are more likely to stay when their charter school invests in both their career and personal wellbeing. Partnering with a professional employer organization (PEO) helps schools to do just that. Here are three strategies a trusted PEO can offer to aid charter schools with building long-term teacher retention.

Competitive benefits and wellness programs

Teachers do their best when they feel supported and valued at work—highlighting the importance of meaningful employee benefits. In today’s market, 87% of employees consider an employer’s health and wellness offerings while evaluating a new role. If a school only offers limited or inadequate benefits, educators are more likely to experience work-life balance challenges, increasing the risk of turnover.

Well-rounded benefits strengthen staff loyalty. Through a PEO, charter schools can provide staff members with large-group, Fortune 500-level benefits tailored to meet their individual healthcare and lifestyle needs. These robust packages can include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) retirement plans, and both short- and long-term disability coverage.

Schools that partner with ExtensisHR also gain access to other valuable benefits, such as:

• Employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement and student loan tracking tools
• Carrot Fertility resources for family-forming journeys
• Pumpspotting services for nursing parents
• Genomic Life cancer care assistance
• Telehealth and mental health support

Leave of absence (LOA) management is another PEO area of expertise. While helping teachers on leave navigate their coverage, LOA specialists ensure a school’s benefits and policies comply with FMLA regulations, ADA guidelines, state sick leave mandates, and other relevant laws.

Delivering efficient and compliant Fortune 500-level plans shows a school’s commitment to staff wellbeing. As a result, educators feel appreciated, which raises retention, improves morale, and reduces absenteeism.

Reducing admin burdens for school leaders

Charter school leaders oversee many responsibilities, from enhancing school culture to managing staff performances. Unfortunately, admin work often consumes 40-50% of their time.

A PEO helps school leadership reclaim that time by streamlining HR administration across payroll, compliance, benefits, and other areas of employee management. With access to experienced HR professionals, schools receive expert guidance tailored to their goals, mission, and employment requirements.

Specialized technology, like ExtensisHR’s SchoolCloud™ platform, further enhances efficiency by automating and simplifying key tasks. By offloading time-consuming HR responsibilities, school leaders gain more bandwidth to mentor and engage teachers.

Specialized training for K-12 educators

Teachers sharpen their skills to advance their knowledge—just like students do. Ongoing professional development gives educators the right tools to stay compliant, manage safety risks, and navigate classroom challenges. It also ensures schools and their staff meet the education space’s continued learning expectations through specialized training.

Creating a learning and development program is easier with a PEO. ExtensisHR, for instance, offers over 200 training courses tailored for K-12 educators and administrators through a partnership with Vector Solutions. Topics range from behavior management and inclusive instruction to cybersecurity and school safety.

A PEO also plays a vital role in helping staff stay compliant by offering expert guidance and specialized training on federal and state regulations. From mandatory courses on employment laws and safety standards to customized sessions for educators and administrators, a PEO helps keep every staff member prepared to meet evolving compliance requirements.

Additionally, schools can minimize skill gaps and build future leaders by implementing internal development programs that include personalized coaching and mentorship opportunities.

When teachers receive the right training and support, their confidence grows, leading to higher retention and better learning environments.

ExtensisHR: a partner empowering your educational vision

The key to teacher retention is a fully developed and engaged workforce, which can be achieved by offering competitive employee benefits, reducing administrative burdens, and investing in professional development. A trusted partner like ExtensisHR manages these critical functions and other HR operations so charter schools can spend more time creating a thriving community and educating students.

At ExtensisHR, we keep the “human” in human resources. Our white-glove customer service model ensures your educators feel heard, valued, and supported every step of the way. Each school is paired with a dedicated, single point of contact service team, including a School Account Manager, HR Manager, Payroll Specialist, Leave of Absence (LOA) team, and an added layer of support from our Employee Solution Center. From benefits enrollment to compliance and everything in between, our experts deliver personalized, high-touch service that meets your staff’s needs.

Our service is complemented by our SchoolCloud™ technology, a centralized HR hub designed specifically for charter schools. With features like an intuitive dashboard, document management, teacher certification tracking, customizable letter templates, and smart forms for incident reporting, SchoolCloud™ simplifies and streamlines your HR operations.

By partnering with ExtensisHR, charter schools can create a more efficient and empowering school environment, reducing burnout and helping teachers to focus on boosting academic excellence nationwide, one classroom at a time.

Empowering your mission is our mission. Contact us today to learn more about our one-of-a-kind SchoolCloud™ technology and comprehensive HR services.

 Want to see Jeannine’s presentation in action? Click the video below, or visit this link to watch the full panel.