Staff shortages: As school year begins in Clarksville, nearly 200 job openings remain
Like many area businesses, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is experiencing a staff shortage as a new school year begins.
The district has almost 200 vacancies, records show.
It's part of a bigger problem as thousands of jobs remain unfilled in Montgomery County. Open positions range from skilled trade workers to wait staff and retail.
Despite filling close to 80 vacancies during the past two weeks, CMCSS Director of Schools Jean Luna-Vedder told the board of education last week that the district is short about 70 teachers as classes begin for 2022-2023.
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The district will see its first full day of classes on Aug. 11.
Middle and high schools see biggest shortage
The biggest teacher shortages are occurring at the middle and high school levels, Luna-Vedder said.
There are 20 openings at the middle school level and 40 at the high school level, said Anthony Johnson, chief communications officer for CMCSS.
"Special education and secondary math and science are the areas of greatest need, and principals are actively hiring to fill all vacancies. The goal is to have a certified teacher in every classroom, and the district is working diligently to fill the vacant positions. However, when there are vacancies during the school year, (certain steps have to be taken)," Johnson said.
The district's plans could include permanent substitutes, combining classes so a certified teacher is leading instruction while a substitute assists in instruction and classroom management and transferring teachers between schools, Johnson said.
There are also problems outside the classroom.
Not just a teacher shortage
In addition to the open teaching positions, Johnson said there are 111 classified employee vacancies, including bus drivers, substitute teachers, child nutrition workers and more.
The jobs support departments that perform important day-to-day tasks for the district, Johnson said.
Substitute teachers, for example, are at a premium.
"We currently have 212 active substitutes and around 60 permanent substitutes. Ideally, we would have 400-450 active substitutes," Johnson said. "Last school year, we had several days with teacher absences over 400, with a few that reached 450 or higher, especially during spikes of illness. In January 2022 alone, we had 1,070 COVID-leave absences."
And despite ongoing recruiting efforts, CMCSS is continuing to see a bus driver shortage, Johnson said.
The district is down about 78 drivers, though 50 drivers are in training and additional 24 applicants are in the queue from a job fair held July 27, Johnson noted.
CMCSS Chief Operations Officer Norm Brumblay told school board members last week that the district's transportation department is in a better position to start the 2022-2023 school year as compared to 2021-2022.
In addition to training, new bus drivers can expect a starting wage of between $16.27-18.66 per hour.
Previous coverage: Board accepts contract to make Jean Luna-Vedder the new CMCSS director of schools
From May: Hot seat: Clarksville-Montgomery County interim director of school gets first interview for top job
Veteran bus drivers can earn as much as $27.72 per hour.
Sign-on bonuses of $1,000 are offered to new drivers, along with $1,000 referral bonuses.
Drivers are offered $10 per additional route and are eligible for performance bonuses of $600.
Bonuses are available to those who have been employed with CMCSS for 18 months or more.
Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has 200 unfilled jobs
