From News Nation:
“State-by-state teacher shortages (and what they’re doing
about it)”
Recruiting veterans and first responders. Offering $60,000
starting salaries. Providing student loan forgiveness. Helping with mortgages.
Every state in the country is coming up with solutions to combat the teacher
shortage. Across the country, there are 36,000 teacher vacancies, from
kindergarten through high school, and another 163,000 teachers aren’t qualified
for their jobs, according to data collected by the Annenberg Institute at Brown
University. The shortage is so impactful, some schools have resorted to
untraditional concepts such as switching to four-day school weeks. Curious
about what your state is doing to solve its teacher shortage? Wondering if you
may have the opportunity to become a teacher because of state reforms? Below is
a list of the teacher shortages in every state, what the state is doing about
them, and whether that state will accept an out-of-state teaching license. It’s
important to note some data may be incomplete. While some states track teacher
vacancies, many do not require their school districts to report shortages, or
do not have real-time or year-over-year data for comparison.
New Mexico According to the 2022 New Mexico Educator Vacancy Report, New
Mexico has 1,344 teacher vacancies, an increase from the previous year. When
breaking down the open positions by grade level and subject area, the report
says the largest need was for special education teachers, closely followed by
elementary school teachers. Teacher shortage solutions The New Mexico
Public Education Department is recruiting aspiring teachers through the
Teaching Is Changing Lives campaign, implementing residency programs in eight
universities and having allocations for 500 educator fellows. Will they
accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes, but it is limited
reciprocity. According to the National Association of State Directors of
Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement website,
eligible out-of-state teachers will receive a license similar to what was held
in another state when all appropriate documentation is included in their
application.
New York NewsNation-affiliate WTEN reports that New York is expected to need
180,000 new teachers in the next decade, but there may not be enough teachers
to fill those roles. People enrolled in the state’s teacher enrollment programs
has decreased by almost 50% while New York’s student population is expected to
grow by 61,000 in the next seven years. Teacher shortage solutions In
June, the New York Board of Regents modified teaching certification
requirements by slashing what was once 100 hours of required in-class teaching
to 50 hours. New York also has two grant programs for school districts
struggling with recruiting new teachers. Will they accept an out-of-state
teacher’s license? Yes. Out-of-state teachers must have a valid teaching
certificate from another state and complete an approved teacher education
program comparable to New York’s requirements or have three years of teaching
experience within the previous seven years under the certificate.
North Carolina The percentage of North Carolina teachers leaving the
profession has been relatively stable at around 8%, a North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction spokesperson tells NewsNation. That equates to around
7,000 to 8,000 teachers leaving each year out of a workforce of around 95,000,
according to data from the 2020-2021 school year. Within the same set of data,
the state found that the highest number of vacancies were reported in
elementary grades (core areas of math, English, science and social studies),
special education across all grade levels and math at the middle and high
school levels. Teacher shortage solutions The North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction is proposing changes to how North Carolina teachers are
paid and licensed. “Reforming the model would allow the state to
support, and sustain, current teachers with better compensation and
opportunities for career advancement while also supporting early-career
teachers through a professional system of support. This opportunity for reform
is an important way we can directly address some of the vacancy challenges
districts are experiencing,” a spokesperson said. Will they accept an
out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes. North Carolina grants a reciprocal
license to eligible teachers based on the education program that a teacher has
completed, experience, test scores and transcripts.
North Dakota For the 2021-2022 school year, North Dakota had about 167
teaching vacancies along with 330 people teaching in an irregular capacity,
according to an October report by the Grand Forks Herald. Teacher shortage
solutions Educators who teach in locations or content areas identified as
having shortages are, in some cases, eligible for student loan forgiveness.
State policy also supports personalized, competency-based learning that gives
school districts more local control. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s education
budget recommendations include $4 million for a program that provides
incentives for education paraprofessionals to become licensed teachers and $2.1
million for a teacher mentorship program. Will they accept an out-of-state
teacher’s license? Yes. Teachers will need to show the North Dakota
Education Standards and Practices Board a copy of their valid and current
out-of-state teaching license with confirmation of the other state educator
license form.
Ohio The Ohio Education Association reports that preliminary July 2022 data
shows a decrease of 17,000 K-12 public school employees in Ohio versus
employment levels in July 2019. The data did not distinguish between teachers
specifically and other school employees. “It is alarming that Ohio’s
public education workforce is 6% smaller now than three years ago. During the
same period, public school enrollment in Ohio declined by 2%,” the association
wrote in its latest teacher recruitment and retention report. U.S.
Department of Education data for the 2022-2023 school year shows Ohio’s largest
teacher shortages in the following areas: special education, career and
technical education, art and music, and English as a second language. Teacher
shortage solutions The Ohio Department of Education has a “Grow Your Own”
strategy when it comes to teacher recruitment and retention. The approach aims
to attract community members to the teaching profession in high-need areas to
increase diversity and retention by drawing from local areas. Will they
accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes. Out-of-state teachers who
wish to teach in Ohio must go through an evaluation process to determine
eligibility for an Ohio teaching license.
Oklahoma Oklahoma has seen an uptick in emergency certifications in the last 10
years. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Education tells
NewsNation that in 2022 the state had a record number, 4,426, of emergency
certified teachers. Teacher shortage solutions To help address the
teacher shortage, a $5,000 across-the-board teacher pay raise is included in
the proposed education budget next year. The average salary of a teacher in
Oklahoma is $54,096. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes.
Fully certified out-of-state teachers who meet the standards set by the State
Board of Education are eligible to receive traditional Oklahoma certification.
Oregon An August report from NewsNation affiliate KOIN says Portland Public
Schools alone had more than 200 open instructional positions, 80 of which were
teaching positions in core subjects. The report also details 81 teaching
openings in the Beaverton School District and 50 total openings in the Reynolds
School District. Teacher shortage solutions Oregon has a teacher loan
forgiveness program for eligible teachers at schools in the state’s Teacher
Cancellation Low Income Directory. Will they accept an out-of-state
teacher’s license? Yes. Oregon issues reciprocal teaching licenses to
eligible teachers who have completed an educator preparedness program and hold
an active and valid nonprovisional license from another state.
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania’s Educator Workforce Strategy for 2022-2025
states that by August 2025, Pennsylvania will need thousands of new teachers,
hundreds of new principals, and thousands of educators in other critical roles.
The report says the state “faces an educator workforce crisis” since the number
of new teachers entering the classroom continues to decline and the rate of
teachers leaving the profession keeps accelerating. Teacher shortage
solutions Pennsylvania has a three-year plan, which aims to build a more
diverse education workforce, streamline the teacher certification process, and
give teachers access to high-quality professional growth and leadership
opportunities by 2025. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes.
Pennsylvania has signed an Interstate Certification Agreement that recognizes
similar state-approved certification programs. Teaching candidates must still
meet certain Pennsylvania requirements such as testing and student teaching
experience.
Rhode Island According to data from the U.S. Department of Education for
the 2022-2023 school year, Rhode Island has the largest teacher shortages in
the following subjects: English as a second language, career and technical
education, math, science, special education, health and physical fitness, world
languages and language arts. Teacher shortage solutions Rhode Island’s
Council on Elementary and Secondary Education passed an educator certification
proposal that includes giving teachers in shortage areas with relevant
experience seven years to get their certification as opposed to seven one-year
renewals, the alignment of teacher requirements in career and technical
education with industry expectations, and establishing alternative ways to
recruit new teachers. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes,
in some cases. Rhode Island recognizes full and aligned out-of-state teaching
certificates, but still requires compliance with current state testing
requirements. Rhode Island has special reciprocity flexibility with
Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.
South Carolina According to the South Carolina Annual Educator Supply &
Demand Report, 72 of the 73 public school districts reported a 39% increase in
vacancies. The 2022-2023 school year started with 1,474 vacant positions
compared to the 1,063 openings the previous year. Teacher shortage solutions
The South Carolina Department of Education used Elementary and Secondary
School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to implement a statewide recruitment and
retention initiative. The program has generated more than 2,000 teacher
applicants from neighboring North Carolina in the past two years. South
Carolina’s Department of Education has also advocated for higher teacher pay.
In the past eight years, the department says starting salaries for teachers
went from $29,523 to $40,000 in fiscal year 2023, representing an increase of
35.49%. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes. South
Carolina accepts valid, standard teaching certificates or licenses, but those
credentials must meet a set of state requirements.
South Dakota NewsNation affiliate KELO reported in November that recent
estimates by the state’s Department of Education put the number of open
teaching positions in the state at more than 500, which is much higher than in
previous years. According to the report, shortages are due in part to large
class sizes and low salaries for teachers. Teacher shortage solutions In
2021, the South Dakota Teacher Compensation Review Board found that, compared
to the rest of the country, South Dakota teacher pay ranks extremely low, but their
wage growth percentage ranks high. A state task force has recommended the
implementation of a new funding formula and benchmarks to ensure that average
teacher salary goals are met in the state. Will they accept an out-of-state
teacher’s license? Yes. The state where teachers hold their license must
verify it and that there are no past or pending disciplinary actions for
alleged ethics violations. From there, teachers can apply for a one-year
provisional certificate.
Tennessee Ahead of the 2022-2023 school year, Tennessee had around
2,000 teaching vacancies, WVLT reports. According to U.S. Department of
Education data for 2022-2023, Tennessee has the largest shortages in math,
social studies, language arts, art and music, science, health and physical
fitness, world languages, early childhood, English as a second language and
special education. Teacher shortage solutions Tennessee has invested in
a “Grow Your Own” initiative and a center that has built new teacher
apprenticeship models through the University of Tennessee System’s four
campuses. Will they accept an
out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes. According to the National Association
of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) website,
eligible teachers can receive an initial-level license if they hold either an
initial license or professional-level in another state.
Texas According to reporting from Dallas Weekly, the rate at which teachers are
leaving their jobs is the biggest problem for the Texas teacher shortage. They
report that the state has experienced 8,600 teachers retiring since fiscal year
2021. Teacher shortage solutions Texas teacher initiatives include the
federal teacher loan forgiveness program, grow your own and mentorship
programs, and a redesign of the teacher certification process, the Texas
Education Agency says. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? According
to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and
Certification (NASDTEC) website, Texas does not offer full reciprocity in any
area of certification or licensure.
Utah A Utah State Board of Education spokesperson tells NewsNation that nearly
15% of Utah teachers are underqualified, meaning they do not hold a
professional teaching license. Teacher shortage solutions Utah created
two alternate pathways for people wanting to earn their professional teaching
license. The state is also working to establish a registered apprenticeship for
teachers. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes.
Teachers who have professional, unencumbered, renewable licenses in other
jurisdictions may be granted a Utah Professional Educator license.
Vermont According to U.S. Department of Education data for 2022-2023, Vermont has
the largest shortages in health and physical fitness, special education, math,
science, social studies, art and music, language arts, world languages and
early childhood education. Teacher shortage solutions Many Vermont
teachers are able to teach under emergency, provisional or apprenticeship
licenses. New state legislation also allows certain retired teachers to return
to the classroom for one year without impacting their retirement earnings. Will
they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes. According to the
National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification
(NASDTEC) website, Vermont allows eligible out-of-state teachers into their
classrooms but requires certain requirements, such as the same education
levels, to be met.
Virginia Teacher shortages in Virginia vary from region to region. A Virginia
Department of Education spokesperson tells NewsNation that Virginia’s 131
school divisions reported approximately 3,600 vacancies with a total of 93,000
full-time teaching positions. Special education, math, career and technical
education, science and English are among the state’s top 10 critical shortage
areas for the 2022-2023 school year. Teacher shortage solutions Some of Virginia’s recruitment and
retention efforts include offering additional funding for school districts,
awarding grants to help cover the cost of teaching assessments, and giving
scholarships to eligible college students completing their student-teaching
experience. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? Yes.
According to the state’s educator career resource center, teachers coming from
out of state may qualify for a Virginia teaching license depending on which
preparation programs a teacher has completed.
Washington According to the Washington state’s Professional Educator
Standards Board’s 2021 shortage report, progress has been made to decrease the
teacher shortage, yet demographic, content area, role, and geographic shortages
are still continuing to be an issue for the state. Teacher shortage
solutions Washington’s educator programs include at least four scholarships
or grants to address teacher shortages through recruitment and retention
efforts. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s license? No, in most
cases. According to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction, teachers must have a Washington certificate in order to serve in
public schools. Teachers with either the Wisconsin Masters Educator License or
the Ohio Professional Teaching License are considered comparable to
Washington’s Professional Certificate Program. Teachers with those certificates
may apply for certification in Washington.
West Virginia West Virginia’s 2022 Public Education Snapshot reports there
are 1,544 teachers placed in positions for which they are not fully certified. Teacher
shortage solutions The West Virginia Department of Education says there are
multiple short-term and long-term strategies in place to slow and attempt to
reverse increases in shortages, such as multiple pathways to teacher licensure,
and a “Grow Your Own” teaching and apprenticeship program. Will they accept
an out-of-state teacher’s license? West Virginia has reciprocity with all
other states across the United States, but applicants must meet state-specific
criteria, according to the West Virginia Department of Education.
Wisconsin School districts in Wisconsin are not required to report
teaching vacancies to the state, so a Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction spokesperson says it’s difficult to measure the size of a potential
shortage. Different areas of the state have different educational needs and
vacancies vary across Wisconsin. According to U.S. Department of Education data
for the 2022-2023 school year, Wisconsin sees its largest shortages in special
education, English as a second language, math, and science. Teacher shortage
solutions Wisconsin teachers may be eligible for loan forgiveness or
cancelation if they teach an eligible subject or work in eligible schools.
Current teachers in the state who meet eligibility requirements for most
financial aid must be employed as a full-time, highly qualified elementary or
secondary teacher for five complete and consecutive years and work at a
designated low-income school. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s
license? Yes. If teachers have a valid teaching license from another state
and at least one year of experience under that license, they may be eligible to
teach in Wisconsin depending on a review of their application.
Wyoming The Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board does not have data on teacher
vacancies, but a spokesperson told NewsNation some districts have larger
numbers of open positions than others and that all 48 school districts
reportedly had difficulties meeting their staffing needs. Teacher shortage
solutions The Wyoming Department of Education and Professional Teaching
Standards Board recently developed a teacher apprenticeship program that allows
school districts to support prospective teachers who otherwise may not have had
the means to become teachers. Selected apprentices spend up to three years in a
mentored program in the classroom while completing college coursework. The
state also has a recruitment and retention task force related to finding
solutions for teacher shortages. Will they accept an out-of-state teacher’s
license? Yes. A Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board spokesperson
says Wyoming has many licensed teachers from other states that match Wyoming
teaching requirements.
^ Hopefully everyone in every State will now, finally, see
and understand just how much Teachers do and will start treating them with the
respect and pay they deserve. ^
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