BACK TO SCHOOL: Districts have enough teachers, but there is a pinch

Aug. 20—With school district throughout the United States are facing staff shortages from teachers leaving the profession and colleges providing fewer replacements, some states are resorting to unusual measures.

California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, and Arizona are among the states relaxing requirements for educators, according to the Associated Press.

The situation isn't yet that desperate in Mercer County, but even here, school districts are feeling the pinch.

Dr. Wayde Killmeyer, executive director of Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV, said all of Mercer County's have all reported shortages of some kind. The intermediate unit, based in Grove City and administers programs for 27 school districts within its coverage area, including 12 districts in Mercer County.

Acting state Secretary of Education Eric Hagerty asked the state's 500 public school districts to gauge what potential staffing shortages the school districts might be facing and if there was a danger of any district not opening due to those shortages.

Generally, the districts reported needing service staff, such as janitors and maintenance personnel, and para-professionals, such as teacher's aides.

That's been the issue in Sharon City School District, where new teaching program graduates are walking directly into full-time jobs instead of starting off as aides.

"Traditionally, we have had recent college graduates come and take our Title (I) aide positions," said Sharon Superintendent Justi Glaros. "It's not a full-time position, but it's a good stepping-stone job."

Because of the shortage, those graduates are now moving directly into full-time teaching jobs, which creates backfill vacancies for the aide positions they might otherwise have filled.

Glaros said Sharon is fully staffed for the coming school year after hiring two elementary school teachers to replace retired instructors. The district also revived a social studies program at the higher grade levels and hired a teacher for the position.

She credited the school board for creating a guidance counselor position to focus on students' social and emotional health.

By the numbers

Killmeyer said said the shortage is partly attributable to pay, since companies like Amazon or Walmart did well financially during the COVID-19 pandemic and can afford to hire more people at higher wages than school districts can easily match.

There are also fewer background and licensing requirements for jobs such as laborer or truck driver compared to working in a school with children.

"If someone can work at a school and make X, or work at Amazon and make $10 more without holding a degree or license, then it's an easy decision," Killmeyer said.

Dr. Dan Bell, superintendent for Hermitage School District, said the system is "fully staffed" for the coming school year, with about eight teachers, an administrator and multiple support staff hired from late spring throughout the summer.

The district also has a pool of about 40 substitutes to call upon, although these substitutes are usually on lists for other school districts and doesn't necessarily mean there will always be 40 substitutes available if a situation arises, Bell said.

"They're still in very high demand," he said of substitute teachers.

Bell said he has seen figures indicate that a nationwide decrease in people entering the education field is driving the shortage. The Associated Press reports that the number of incoming teachers has declined from 275,000 in 2010 to less than 200,000 in 2020. Projections indicate that the number will be less than 120,000 by 2025.

So far there has been no indication that the trend will change soon, Bell said.

"The pool of candidates is as tight as it's ever been," he said.

While raising pay can be a possible solution, Killmeyer said that could lead to a situation where school districts are competing with each other, instead of competing with other businesses.

Another opportunity could include hosting a job fair, since the intermediate unit hosted a similar fair last May that drew a positive response from school officials and applicants.

"We had teachers and para-professionals coming through the door and applying, so doing something like that again could be a good plan," Killmeyer said.

Job referrals by existing staff could also help alleviate the issue, and it's something already in place at the intermediate unit.

While some school districts already offer job referral bonuses, Killmeyer said at the intermediate unit, if an employee recommends someone who gets interviewed and then hired, the referral receives a $500 bonus.

"Your own employees can be your best ambassador, because they can tell their friend 'it's a good place to work' and it may be something their friend had never thought of," Killmeyer said.

But those employees might be unwilling to serve in those ambassador roles. The Associated Press' "The Conversation" feature cited another reason — working conditions — contributing to elements of the shortage relating to experienced teachers leaving the profession.

In the last decade, annual teacher turnover was estimated at about 8% annually. Prior to the pandemic, about 1 in 6 (about 16%) of teachers said they would likely leave their job. Since then that figure has increased to about 1 in 4 (25%)

"The Conversation" concluded that teachers face low pay — nationally, teachers earn about 20% less than similarly educated professionals. Teachers report facing outside factors — administrators, state regulators and parents — controlling what and how they teach.

Teachers across the nation are also reporting increases in disrespect — along with rising physical and verbal harassment — from both students and parents, the Associated Press reported.

Safety 'highest priority'

Starting Monday, when Farrell students return to class, Mercer County schools will welcome young people back to their classroom under a shadow cast at the end of last school year.

On May 24, just days before classes ended in the spring, A gunman invaded Webb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers, once again throwing a spotlight on school safety.

At Sharon Glaros called student and staff safety the district's "highest priority." She said the district has been working with state authorities and said Sharon is already employing most of their recommendations.

"We always have concerns because I feel like every threat out there is never anticipated," she said. "But I feel comfortable in terms of where we stand in terms of preparing for the best in a worst-case scenario."

In Hermitage School District, Bell said it will continue to have armed officers at both campuses, including Hickory High School and the elementary and middle schools, at all times.

Although he didn't want to reveal specifics for security reasons, Bell said some of the schools' safety measures include cameras and metal detectors.

However, improving the district's safety was a "continual process" for school officials.

"Security is something that we already take very seriously, but unfortunately every time you see one of those tragedies, it puts an extra emphasis on it for us," Bell said.

One of the issues encountered during the Uvalde shooting was the number of departments and agencies involved and an unclear chain of command.

At Hermitage School District, the school resource officers are members of the Hermitage Police Department, eliminating any separation between school security and law enforcement.

If there were an emergency situation at the district, Bell said the Hermitage Police Department would take the lead on managing the situation.

Killmeyer of the intermediate unit said school safety remains a high priority for superintendents.

Although no officials have approached the intermediate unit specifically about security, Killmeyer said there are grants and funds earmarked to help districts improve their security measures.

One source of aid is the state budget, which includes a program where school officials can outline their safety plans and receive $100,000 toward security improvements. Other grants have been streamlined to make the funds more accessible for school officials, Killmeyer said.

"From what I've heard from the superintendents, the application process for this security funding has been easier than some of the other grants out there," Killmeyer said.

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