ACS, teachers discuss staffing shortages
Dec. 9—ANDERSON — A group of Anderson Community Schools administrators and members of the Anderson Federation of Teachers met recently to discuss ongoing staffing shortages throughout the district.
The meeting took place as ACS continues to experience challenges in filling open positions for full-time teachers, as well as substitutes in several areas, including support staff. The district's website currently lists a total of 10 open full-time teaching positions, with seven of them for special education teachers.
"Those are high-demand positions," said ACS Superintendent Dr. Joe Cronk. "Changes in state licensing have created a shortage statewide, with districts competing for the available teachers."
Randy Harrison, president of the AFT Local 519, doesn't think the "sheer numbers of the crisis have increased."
"I just think it's finally caught up to and worn the educators and support staff down that are trying to fill in the gaps," he said.
Among the ideas discussed were improving coordination with the district's community partners to provide more volunteers to help cover classes.
Harrison noted that those partnerships — including connections with the Anderson Education Foundation, Community Hospital Anderson and others — were discussed during a recent roundtable session that included AFT national Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram.
"We know volunteers may not be able to give us an entire day, but if you can give us two or three hours, something is better than nothing," Harrison said.
The district will also soon be included in Ball State University's Student Voluntary Services system, which provides opportunities for education students to fulfill course requirements through substitute teaching, among other assignments.
Harrison also said the district is exploring ideas for hiring permanent substitute teachers with a goal of placing at least one in each building — and more if a particular school demonstrates an ongoing need. Additionally, the roles of specialists — those who teach art, music and physical education, for example — are being re-examined.
"Those are two things that we can do almost immediately in-house, and we're pledging to do that," Harrison said.
Cronk noted that the meeting generated several ideas that have yet to be fully explored.
"As with any brainstorming session, ideas are not discarded or accepted until they are fully vetted."
Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.
