Western Wayne Today

Many school districts across the nation have been struggling to retain teachers, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. But Dearborn Public Schools took time to recognize teachers who have come back to the district.

At an April 10 school board meeting, leaders heard from those boomerang employees about what makes Dearborn schools special.

“I was offered an opportunity for a leadership position to expand my career outside of the district,” said Caitlin Ball, who works with autistic students and others with special needs. “Truly my heart was in Dearborn. Once I stepped away, I saw that loud and clear.”  

Ball said her new position, outside the district, wasn't as fulfilling as she thought it would be.

“I truly missed the people I worked with, the students and the program I worked hard on,” she said of her return. 

Superintendent Glenn Maleyko had wanted information about teacher resignations and employment trends. At a previous meeting, he asked human resources workers to prepare data about why people leave, and, in this case, come back. 

Ball is one of 95 teachers who are on their second stints in Dearborn since 2018. One-third (31) were teachers who resigned and came back. The remainder were in other positions. They left Dearborn and came back to teach.

Ball gave her account in person. In addition, human resources personnel wrote written descriptions they shared from others who had returned.

“I want to thank you for this presentation for one reason. I've been on the board since 2008 and over the years you always hear the perception of assumptions of why people leave the district,” said board member Mary Petlichkoff. “And a lot of times it's an assumption that there's something wrong with the building or the district and the person left dissatisfied. 

"Tonight we were able to get a different perspective and a personal point of view," she added. "This shows that when you have a community that has over 1,300 staff members, who for a variety of reasons are going to come and go over the years, it's not all necessarily a bad thing, nor is it something that that we have necessarily missed or done wrong.”

Human resources gives employees exit interviews. Reasons for departures include family demands, growth opportunities like Ball got, and medical reasons. 

"Sometimes it's just human nature to explore, experiment and find their path,” Petlichkoff said. “And I'm so happy to hear about the successes when we have them return. And I also understand the necessity to examine those exits and understand what we may be missing and what we can improve upon.”