Students at the Savannah Chatham County Public School System returned to the classroom with 73 fewer teachers than they needed. Louisville’s Jefferson County Public Schools is in a similar position with reports suggesting 98 open teaching positions. Their solution: optimism.
During the district’s first day of school press conference, Savannah Chatham County superintendent Denise Watts reported on the current number of vacancies. “But before you write that down as a headline, I want to acknowledge the teachers we have hired showed up today with a lot of energy and excitement and engagement,” she said.
At the moment, the widest vacancies exist in elementary and special education positions, Savannah Morning News reports. The root of the problem is similar to that of Jefferson County: families want their children enrolled in their districts.
Savannah-Chatham County is starting the school year with more students than its projected 35,477. In Jefferson County, two of its schools are experiencing steady enrollment numbers. New job posting at the start of the school year is a “good problem to have,” Cynthia Grohmann, interim chief of human resources, told WHAS11.
“These are all normal problems to have, especially at the beginning of the school year,” she said. “The number of postings does not necessarily reflect the number of vacancies for a variety of reasons, but yes, they do show areas of need in the district.”
She added that it will not impact students’ ability to learn as they’re leveraging “resource teachers” to help fill gaps.
“Resource teachers are trained in different areas and different subject matters,’ she said. “But, they are certified teachers who are able to give a high level of support to any school that uses them.”
One school district has taken a “huge” step toward addressing its teacher shortage. Miami-Dade County Public Schools last week launched a week of professional training for more than 400 new teachers, Local10 reports.
It’s part of Superintendent Jose L. Dotres’ work to close the teacher shortage gap. The district so far has implemented several pathways for building new teachers, including a Teacher Candidate Residency Program, a Teacher Apprentice Program, a Certified Intern pathway, and an Accredited Certification Development Program, Local10 reports.
The Teacher Candidate Residency Program is part of a partnership with Miami Dade College, where School of Education students can earn jobs while completing their bachelor’s degree.
DA coverage
In the past several months, District Administration has written extensively about the teacher shortage plaguing public schools across the country. Here are some resources and case studies of superintendents who are successfully overcoming this obstacle:
Teacher shortage is being solved by this retiring superintendent
The Hernando County School District is tackling the teacher shortage innovatively: the system, led by Superintendent John Stratton, has launched an on-the-job bachelor’s degree program for aspiring educators.
As teacher shortages persist, districts look for creative solutions
From shorter work weeks to hiring overseas, districts across the country are looking for better ways to improve the teaching profession.
Solving teacher shortages: 5 ways to improve student teaching
Districts are raising salaries, building apartments and giving teachers more planning time. But, with superintendents warning of worsening staff shortages, districts may be overlooking another solution: student teaching.
