Teacher shortage emergency

CONCERNS DEEPEN AS NUMBER OF ‘STOP GAP’ CERTIFICATES RISES

The state Board of Education on Thursday approved 349 more emergency teaching certificates, further proof Oklahoma’s teacher shortage shows no signs of letting up.

State schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister and other education officials warned that public education will continue to suffer without a long-term solution that addresses pay raises for teachers.

“The quality of our students’ education is compromised, and the teacher shortage will not fix itself,” she said. “There is a cost to this crisis, and I believe it is our obligation to address. Either we pay now, or our kids pay later.”

Since May, the board has approved 730 emergency certificates, which are issued to school districts that lack qualified candidates to fill teaching vacancies.

“While that’s a nice stop gap for schools, it’s very concerning that we’re putting people in classrooms that have never had training as a teacher,” said Shawn Hime, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. “As a parent, that’s not really the expectation you have for your classroom teachers.”

By this time last year there were 1,000 teaching vacancies and the state Education Department had approved a total of 685 emergency certificates, which are awarded to candidates with a bachelor’s degree who are on a path to become certified in their field of need.

Since then, however, districts across the state have eliminated more than 1,500 teaching jobs and 1,300 support staff

positions because of funding cuts, according to an association survey released this week.

The latest number of vacancies reported by the association — 543 as of Aug. 1 — does not include positions filled by teachers holding 381 emergency certificates issued by the board in May, June and July.

Special education, elementary, math, science and English are the most challenging areas to fill with certified teachers, according to the survey.

“The fact that we’ve eliminated 1,500 positions and still have over 500 openings tells you the teacher shortage in our state has grown from last year to this year,” Hime said. “It also shows that we have to step up and make sure we find a longterm funding solution for education that provides a competitive compensation for our teachers.”

OKC school district

Oklahoma City Public Schools requested 80 of the certificates issued Thursday. The state’s largest school district employs 149 teachers with emergency certificates and currently has 37 vacancies, spokesman Mark Myers said.

The district also employs 508 substitutes, 265 of which are certified teachers. Additionally, 179 first-year teachers and 24 second-year teachers worked for the district as of Aug. 1, the start of the 201617 school year.

Superintendent Aurora Lora has said it will be a challenging year for a district that cut $30 million worth of positions, services and programs.

Lora could not be reached for comment Thursday.