Finding (and keeping) teachers in Kentucky

Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
As Louisville children go back to school, there are still concerns about finding the educators and other staff to fill hundreds of vacancies in the Jefferson County Public School system.
As Louisville children go back to school, there are still concerns about finding the educators and other staff to fill hundreds of vacancies in the Jefferson County Public School system.
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Good afternoon!

School is back in session for nearly 100,000 students in Jefferson County, but hundreds of vacancies persist throughout the district in the classroom, leaving officials scrambling to make contingency plans.

Education reporter Olivia Krauth dug in over the past week by talking with educators, administrators and experts to see how Jefferson County Public Schools can try to keep teachers in the classroom. While many have said increasing pay has been necessary for years, fixing the pipeline from Kentucky's universities to its classrooms, making access to alternative pathways for licenses easier and conducting exit interviews to find out why people are leaving are just some of the options being floated to keep teachers in the commonwealth.

Even if those options are implemented, many teachers in Kentucky, especially teachers of color, said they won't keep them in the classroom unless they receive more buy-in and help from their districts and lawmakers.

“Educators need to know that they are supported,” one expert said.

Here are some other stories of note this week:

U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell drew sharp criticism this week after voting no on a measure that would cap monthly insulin costs at $35 for most Americans. Longtime columnist Joe Gerth argues the move shows the pair may be out of touch with the needs of Kentucky, where a large number of residents have or are at risk of a diabetes diagnosis.

People in Kentucky and around the South and Midwest are flocking to Illinois in the wake of the fall of Roe v. Wade to seek abortion care and services, a trend some practitioners are worried could cause strain and stress for both them and patients.
People in Kentucky and around the South and Midwest are flocking to Illinois in the wake of the fall of Roe v. Wade to seek abortion care and services, a trend some practitioners are worried could cause strain and stress for both them and patients.

In the wake of the fall of Roe v. Wade, women in Kentucky — and across the South and Midwest — are now making their way across state lines to receive abortion care. Health reporter Sarah Ladd and Tessa Duvall found one abortion care center in Granite City, Illinois, that sees at least 40 to 50 patients a day, double the traffic before the decision was handed down. As the fallout continues, many practitioners find themselves angry people have to go so far to receive care, but some are worried about the strain it may place on available services in the future.

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Mary Irby-Jones

Executive Editor

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Finding (and keeping) teachers in Kentucky