After 34 years working in the Howard County Public School System, Tammy Goldeisen decided it was time to make her exit.

Goldeisen, 60, was one of 237 staff members who retired from HCPSS at the end of the school year in June.

School system spokesperson Brian Bassett said it was a higher number of retirees when compared to past years and HCPSS has been busy hiring for vacancies this summer.

As of July 28, the school system had about 170 teacher vacancies, according to Bassett. He said the system’s human resources office has onboarded new hires every day, and vacant positions are advertised continuously through job fairs and online avenues.

Staff members are scheduled to return to work on Aug. 17 and students return for classes Aug. 29.

During her career, Goldeisen served as an educator and administrator. Her last six years were spent as principal of Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville.

She said her time in the school system has been “fantastic.”

“The beauty of working with this system is that we are constantly focused on students and their achievements and their ability to learn and attempting to bridge any gaps that are there,” she said. “I’m extremely proud that we have done an outstanding job of preparing [students] for wherever they go next.”

Goldeisen is most proud of the relationships she built with students and families.

“I have always just loved students and so I have these really great relationships,” she said. “I have (former) students who are in their mid-40s that I had a long time ago and it’s wonderful to stay in touch with them.”

In her retirement, Goldeisen said she is looking forward to recreational reading and spending time with her family and friends.

Lisa Davis, 52, also retired from HCPSS in June .

Davis, who retired from her position as Director of Program Innovation and Student Well-Being in the central office, started her 30-year career in the school system as a kindergarten teacher at Bollman Bridge Elementary School in Savage when she was 22. She also worked as a second grade teacher, assistant principal and Supervisor of Early Childhood Programs for the school system.

Davis said she is proud of the time she spent working with the HCPSS early childhood office.

“That was more than just a school system job, it was really about connecting with the early childhood community in this county,” she said. “I do think that that left a lasting legacy across this county .”

Next, Davis will consult with, mentor and teach undergraduate students in the early childhood education program at the University of Maryland College Park. She will also work with practicum students in the early childhood department at Howard Community College and volunteer in the NICU at Howard County General Hospital.

Although she will no longer be working for HCPSS she said she plans to stay connected with colleagues for future projects. She said she hopes HCPSS staff and students can return to regularity this school year.

“I am really hoping that the coming year is normal for [staff] and that they get to go back to doing all of the amazing things that they do with children and are able to be more proactive in their work rather than reactive the way they’ve had to be the last couple of years,” she said. “I hope that children, who I believe can be really resilient, are able to recoup what they may have lost over these last few years and to have normalness, too.”