Teacher hiring struggles remain despite pay raise

Just a few months after state lawmakers approved a pay raise for Oklahoma educators, hiring teachers remains a challenge for many school districts and the state may be headed for another record-breaking year for emergency certified teachers.

The state Department of Education has already received around 370 emergency certification requests from districts ahead of the next school year, a nearly 65 percent increase compared to this point last year.

“This is not good for kids,” said state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.

Hofmeister said it will take a few more months to determine if the number of emergency certifications is trending towards another record or if districts are just getting their requests in early.

When districts are unable to find a qualified teacher, they can use an emergency certified teacher with approval from the state Board of Education.

Oklahoma schools used 1,975 emergency certified teachers last year, which are teachers who lack state certification and most have not passed a test in the subject area they were hired to teach.

Just six years ago, 32 emergency certified teachers were used in Oklahoma.

The state Department of Education said more than 104,000 students were taught by an emergency certified teacher last school year, which is about one out of every seven public school students.

Hofmeister blamed the initial uncertainty over teacher pay raises for some of the difficulty in hiring districts have experienced in recent weeks.

“Until we see the certainty around the pay raise settled, we will continue to lose teachers across our border and out of the profession,” Hofmeister said.

Facing the threat of a continuing teacher walkout, the state Legislature approved teacher pay raises this year, averaging around $6,100.

However, the tax increases used to fund the pay raises were challenged through an initiative petition that was declared invalid last week by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Prior to the court’s decision, district leaders worried a continued delay or reversal of the pay raises would lead to more teachers leaving the profession or state.

“I have had teachers who planned on retiring this year or leaving that decided to keep teaching with good faith that the pay raise was going to take place,” said Jean Hastings, director of human resources for Lawton Public Schools, speaking to The Oklahoman before the court ruling.

The Lawton school district was still looking for 54 teachers as of last week, Hastings said.

“We are looking for all

kinds of teachers,” Hastings said. “We have several music, band and orchestra positions and there just are not any applicants.”

Many of the state’s largest school districts are in a crunch to fill teacher openings at a time when districts prefer to have hiring mostly complete ahead of the new school year.

Nearly 100 teachers were still needed in Edmond as of last week, along with 220 openings in Oklahoma City Public Schools. Tulsa Public Schools had a need for at least 335 additional staff members.

The hiring challenge is in rural schools, too.

“We had a high school math teacher resign this year and we listed the job three or four weeks ago, but we have not had one applicant who is qualified apply,” said Kevin Sims, superintendent of Minco Public Schools, a small district southwest of Oklahoma City. “It’s a situation where I’m not sure what we are going to do.”

The state Board of Education will approve the first batch of emergency certified teachers for the upcoming school year when it meets later this week. However, while the number of emergency certificate requests before the Board of Education is higher than at this point last year, most are renewals.

“I think that speaks to the fact that we are holding on to those teachers and they are making plans to stay,” Hofmeister said. “It’s important that we hold on to those who are willing to step in.”

Hofmeister believes the pay raises will help reverse the teacher shortage, but she and other education leaders don’t see the salary increases as a lone fix.

“The pay raise is nice, but I don’t think there are folks lining up at the border and heading this way as soon as the pay raise goes into effect,” said Mike Woods, superintendent of Hennessey Public Schools. “We had a married couple who applied to work here but they ended up taking a job in Texas. They texted me that the amount difference (in Texas) was life changing and ensured that their kids would get a college education. How can I argue with that?”

Most Oklahoma schools were closed for two weeks earlier this year as thousands of teachers rallied at the state Capitol. While the Legislature approved the pay raise before the walkout, teachers said there also needed to be a significant increase in education funding.

State lawmakers approved some education funding increases, but most teachers ended the walkout saying more needed to be done.

Since 2008, state funding for public schools has decreased by nearly 9 percent, while student enrollment has increased by more than 8 percent.

Oklahoma’s $9,219 per student public school revenue last school year was the fourth-lowest out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Not counting the teacher pay raises, the funding increases approved this year will amount to about $70 per student, depending on next year’s enrollment count.