Our Kids Can't Wait: Prioritize Hiring and Retention of Teachers and Staff Now.

Chatham County Schools Board of Education

The demands on Chatham schools’ staff have been extraordinary in recent times. Vacant positions and extra duties have strained already excessive workloads and schedules. Staff are cleaning more classrooms, preparing more meals, covering more classes and driving more bus routes. Retaining veteran staff and hiring new staff is becoming even harder than usual, and this year, our students need us more than ever.

Our kids can’t wait.

We firmly believe that what makes Chatham County schools an excellent school system for our students is its personnel. We fear this excellence is in jeopardy as these additional responsibilities are resulting in burnout and exhaustion amongst employees. We feel it is right that all staff be compensated for the extra time and work they have put in over the last 2 years.

Chatham County schools are currently sitting on $16.84 million of ESSER funds, which were allocated through the CARES Act to address the unique needs of K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. We feel a substantial amount of this money should be invested in fairly compensating school employees. This will allow Chatham County to attract and retain the highly qualified personnel that make our school system one of the best in the state. By hiring and retaining highly qualified staff, we will ensure that Chatham students receive the high-quality education that they deserve.

This petition was developed to build consensus among the stakeholders and in support of students, staff, and our Superintendent. We call on the Chatham County School Board of Education to pass the following measures immediately:


  • Each staff member should receive an additional $2750 bonus. This only spends about $3.3 million of the ESSER relief funds.

  • Increase classified staff wages to a living wage ($15+/hr) at least until the equivalent state wage levels take effect in 2024.

  • Raise substitute teacher pay to $130/day for certified staff and $100/day for non-certified staff.


Please help our school staff, our school system, and our students by signing this petition. Our kids and our classrooms can't wait for us to recruit and retain the staff they need to learn.

To: Chatham County Schools Board of Education
From: [Your Name]

Chatham Educators and Community Members,

The demands on Chatham schools’ staff have been extraordinary in recent times. Vacant positions and extra duties have strained already excessive workloads and schedules. Staff are cleaning more classrooms, preparing more meals, covering more classes and driving more bus routes. Retaining veteran staff and hiring new staff is becoming even harder than usual, and this year, our students need us more than ever.

Our kids can’t wait.

We firmly believe that what makes Chatham County schools an excellent school system for our students is its personnel. We fear this excellence is in jeopardy as these additional responsibilities are resulting in burnout and exhaustion amongst employees. We feel it is right that all staff be compensated for the extra time and work they have put in over the last 2 years.

Chatham County schools are currently sitting on $16.84 million of ESSER funds, which were allocated through the CARES Act to address the unique needs of K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. We feel a substantial amount of this money should be invested in fairly compensating school employees. This will allow Chatham County to attract and retain the highly qualified personnel that make our school system one of the best in the state. By hiring and retaining highly qualified staff, we will ensure that Chatham students receive the high-quality education that they deserve.

We call on the Chatham County School Board of Education to pass the following measures immediately:

Each staff member should receive an additional $2750 bonus. This only spends about $3.3 million of the ESSER relief funds.
CCS Classified Staff wages should be immediately increased to $15/hr until the equivalent state wage level takes effect in 2024.
Substitute teacher pay should be raised to $100/day for non-certified staff and $130/day for certified staff.