Dept. of Education Loses 46 Teachers, 174 Eligible to Retire by Fall; Only 21 of 51 New Hires Local as Staffing Crisis Grows Ahead of School Merger
As the Education Department braces for more retirements and continued staffing shortfalls, officials push recruitment efforts, launch a “Grow Your Own” program, and prepare to close John H. Woodson Jr. High when Arthur A. Richards K-8 opens in 2026.
2025-07-01 14:18:15 - VI News Staff
With a new school year fast approaching, the V.I. Department of Education must once again contend with the age-old challenge of teachers departing the system, either through resignation or retirement.
During Monday’s meeting of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance, Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington informed lawmakers that 35 employees have signaled their intent not to return in the upcoming school year. That figure includes 12 teachers from the St. Croix district and 10 educators in St. Thomas/St. John. These figures are compounded by news of 26 teachers either resigning or retiring in St. Croix, and another 20 in the St. Thomas/St. John district. Additionally, as of September 1, 2025, “174 employees will be eligible for retirement, of which 25 are administrators, 16 paraprofessionals and 66 teachers.”
“The Virgin Islands Department of Education continues to face challenges in filling critical teaching positions,” Ms. Wells-Hedrington lamented. Some 51 qualified candidates have been selected to begin teaching in the upcoming school year, only 21 of them local to the territory. Nonetheless, the continued harsh reality of staffing shortages has prompted VIDE to get creative.
The department has now partnered with the Department of Labor and the University of the Virgin Islands to conceptualize and launch a “Grow Your Own” initiative. “This initiative targeted paraprofessionals in both districts who have expressed an interest in becoming teachers,” Wells-Hedrington explained. She anticipates that 20 individuals are scheduled to begin online classes to that end this fall.