Are emergency teaching certificates ‘the new normal’?
In a scramble to fill classrooms ahead of another school year, the state Board of Education on Thursday approved 631 emer- gency teaching certificates for public school districts across Oklahoma.
Designed as a last-ditch mechanism for hiring a teacher when a certified and traditionally trained applicant is not available, emergency teaching certif- icates have become a common tool for Oklahoma schools as colleges produce fewer teaching candidates, and low pay and tough conditions send many teachers out of the state or out of the profession.
“The shortage of certi- fied teachers in Oklahoma is merely a symptom of a much bigger problem that our state is facing when it comes to support for education,” said Janis Perrault, chief of human resources for Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state’s larg- est district, which was approved for 87 emergency certificates Thursday.
Oklahoma used 1,160 emergency certificates last year, which represented less than 3 percent of all public school teachers in the state.
However, last year’s number was a new state record and more than 10 times the amount approved just four years earlier.
“This feels like the new
for Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state’s largest district, which was approved for 87 emergency certificates Thursday.
Oklahoma used 1,160 emergency certificates last year, which represented less than 3 percent of all public school teachers in the state.
However, last year’s number was a new state record and more than 10 times the amount approved just four years earlier.
“This feels like the new normal,” said state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. “The need is great and it’s not getting better.”
National shortage
Oklahoma’s teacher shortage comes at a time when states across the country are struggling to fill teaching slots.
But, with some of the lowest average teacher salaries in the nation, Oklahoma is at a compensation disadvantage, especially compared to districts in neighboring states that can sometimes pay tens of thousands of dollars more per year, including in the growing north Texas region.
“The simple truth is that we can be paid a respectable wage for doing the same job — this job we love very much — by heading out of state,” said Shawn Sheehan, a former Norman math teacher and Oklahoma teacher of the year who moved to Texas this year.
Thursday’s board vote brought the total number of emergency certified teachers for the 2017-18 school year to 850. At this point last year, Oklahoma had approved just 381 emergency certificates, a number considered alarming at the time.
August is typically the month when the most requests are made, which means the state could set a new record next month before the school year begins for most schools.
“There is no indication, that I see, that it is (going to end),” said Lee Baxter, one of seven members of the state Board of Education. “We could be talking about this in 15 years.”
Emergency certified teachers are individuals who lack traditional training or certification in the specific area they are seeking to teach. Some emergency certified teachers could be certified to teach a different subject or grade level, while others could be brand new to the profession.
Only 27 percent of this month’s approved emergency certified teachers have some form of teaching credential, Hofmeister said.
New paths
Some education leaders see the trend as further proof that there needs to be a variety of paths to the teaching profession.
“While the majority of our 2,500 teachers do come to OKCPS with a traditional teaching degree, we do not believe that college campuses are the only place we can
find great teachers,” Perrault said. “By embracing our emergency certified staff, OKCPS students are exposed to professionals from a variety of industries and backgrounds. We believe this brings innovation into our classrooms.”
School districts like Oklahoma City also are providing additional support to emergency certified teachers who might lack classroom management training.
“OKCPS remains committed to supporting our new and emergency certified teachers with an array of resources to help them be successful, including professional learning communities, (professional development) opportunities ... and with financial incentives to obtain alternative certification in hopes that teaching will be their long-term career path here at OKCPS,” Perrault said.
Other districts also are looking for ways to incentivize teaching, including Enid Public Schools, which offers scholarships and signing bonuses for students who return to the district to teach.
“With the teacher shortage, we must do everything we can to encourage teaching as a career path for our best and brightest,” said Darrell Floyd, Enid’s superintendent.